Life's A Gamble
by Xo Bella Italiana oX
Summary: ALL HUMAN/ORIGINAL PLOT: Everything changed for Isabella Swan the day she started her job at a top secret underground facility in the middle of the Las Vegas desert. However, she did not expect to meet the company's Billionaire CEO, Jasper Whitlock, founder of JW Enterprises,who begins to relentlessly pursue her to the point of obsession. Jas/Bella Romance See Full Summary Inside-
1. Chapter 1

** Disclaimer. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.**

 **Life's a Gamble**

 **A/N: This story is a completely original storyline and plot, only using Stephanie Meyer's Twilight characters that we all know and love. Everything else is completely mine. I really hope you guys enjoy it and give me your honest feedback.**

 **REMINDER : If anyone is interested in viewing PICTURES from each of the chapters (of a scene with the characters and their surroundings; including Jasper romance) check out the stories on my Wattpad page! The link is located on my profile!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! Enjoy! - Bella'Xo**

* * *

 **Summary:**

 _Isabella Swan's life changed the day she took her new job at a confidential underground facility in the middle of the Las Vegas desert. She was amazed at the high tech compound and the start of the art laboratories and was excited to get started. However, she did not expect to meet Billionaire Entrepreneur, Jasper Whitlock, the company's CEO and founder of JW Enterprises. There was an immediate attraction, as well as sexual tension that was off the charts. But after getting a glimpse of his arrogant attitude and no-nonsense proposals, she knew she needed to stay away from him at the risk of losing everything. However, Jasper Whitlock is not a man used to hearing the word 'no', and relentlessly pursues her to the point of obsession. Meanwhile, Bella's lab has completed a new top secret formula, one that could very well change the balance of power overnight, and Jasper's enemies, as well as many others, would do just about anything to get their hands on it. Especially after both Bella and Jasper run human trials on themselves, finding that the formula has more potential than either of them could have ever imagined. With everything that's happened, will they be able to keep this new formula and it's capabilities under wraps? Or will it fall into the wrong hands, putting the whole world at jeopardy. And what does Bella's diseased father have to do with all this?_

* * *

 ** Chapter 1: A New Life Underground  
** **(Bella's POV)**

I stood with my back to the blue screen, a neutral expression guarding my face as the man behind the computer screen to my left snapped my picture. I watched as my image immediately filled the blank square on the computer monitor and stepped forward to hand them the rest my paperwork. He mutely accepted the small stack I held out to him before disappearing behind the steel automatic door that led to the office area in front of me, behind what appeared to be bullet proof glass. When he reappeared, he made his way over to one of the women who seemed to be consumed with whatever was happening on the screen in front of her and slipped her my paperwork, which she accepted without so much as a smile or a gesture of acknowledgement to the man or myself.

Not too friendly around here, are they? I couldn't help but think as some of the staff eyed me wordlessly while they worked, the rest pretending as though I were invisible.

Was I making the right decision when I accepted my new job here? Would the rest of my coworkers be just like this robotic crowd with no emotion or friendly gesture painted my way? God, I hoped not. I don't know how long I'd last here, otherwise.

"Identification?" The woman asked in a monotone without looking away from her computer screen. Like the rest of the women who were staffed in the office area, she wore her dark brown hair pulled slick back into a tight bun and dressed in a navy-colored skirt and blazer with a white collared button-down top.

"Oh, um..." I turned and began to dig through my bag for my wallet, pulling out my federal driver's licence when my fingers graced the dark leather. "Here."

She looked up to where I held out my licence and eyed the card in my hand with disdain, making no move to reach for it. My God, she was acting as though I were an underaged teenager trying to get into the local bar with a handcrafted fake ID!

"What?" I gestured at my licence, shaking it a bit in an attempt to encourage her to take it, "Haven't you ever seen a Colorado driver's licence before?"

The woman's expression didn't change, though I could tell that she was fighting not to roll her eyes and scowl. "We will need two more forms of photo identification, as well as your government clearance papers."

"Well, you could've just asked," I grumbled to myself as I unzipped my messenger's bag to collect the necessary items, placing them onto the counter next to my untouched driver's licence. "There you go, all here."

"Place them in the drawer." Again, with the monotone! I was beginning to think that this woman had no personality, whatsoever!

Some reception…

Without another word, I pulled open the metal drawer and placed everything inside before sending it through to the other side, fighting not to slam it shut.

She didn't say anything more as she reached in and took my information before she immediately began to type away on her keyboard, looking up at her computer monitor while, once again, pretending as though I didn't exist. It was beginning to feel like freshman year all over again.

As I waited, I bided my time by looking around the waiting area and took a closer look at my surroundings. The room was very plain with white walls and glass desks that were stationed inside the office on the other side of the glass. There were no windows on any of the walls or anything that gave a view to the army base outside, and the large LED fluorescent lights on the ceiling where the only source of light brightening up the expansive, yet colorless work area.

There was one set of steel double doors where I'd come in, as well as an automatic set on the opposite wall where the man who had snapped my picture had previously disappeared through after taking the picture that they would undoubtedly be using for my building credentials, only on this side there was what appeared to be a keyless entry system with a touch screen monitor mounted on the wall next to it with a place to slide a keycard through for access. But one of the main things that I noticed about the room was that there were no pictures hanging from any of the walls. Not even a single plaque revealing the name of my new employer. There were no magazines laid out on any of the tables or televisions mounted anywhere as a source of entertainment within the waiting area. It was completely bare, aside from the two long white benches displaying several fitted navy cushions that were pushed up against the far wall a couple of paces away from where I stood.

In all honesty, this was far more than I was anticipating upon my arrival, especially as we were inside the helicopter flying over the large army base that had cleverly hid the underground compound. It was located in the middle of the Nevada desert, out of view from any passing roads. Even from the air, which had provided a full scale view the army base housed at the foot of a large desert mountain, I would never have known that it was really hiding. Not that anybody would even think of finding out otherwise.

There were several armed guards at each of the gated entrances, as well as several elevated posts around the acres of land. It was rocky and dusty, nothing like the clean white room that I was currently standing in. But, to be frank, I have no idea what I was expecting in the first place when I'd accepted this job.

Several weeks ago, I had been hunted down by a man named Caius Cross. He explained that he was representing who would later become my new boss, Director Liam Howe. He'd expressed how the Director had heard of my expansive talents in all things science and wanted to know if I would be interested in applying for a classified position at the compound where he worked. He wouldn't tell me anything more than that or about the position and, as you can imagine, I was skeptical and reluctant to go into a new career blindly, especially one that was so under wraps when I'd already had a decent paying job, but he'd assured me that it would be well worth it if science was something I was truly passionate about. Then, after an extensive background check was done, along with a signed NDA, he would be able to discuss this new position with me to see if it would be something I would be interested in. However, as hesitant as I was to go through with it, my constant curiosity and inquisitive nature won out and I was endorsing away my life to be poked and prodded at.

About a week following our first meeting, I had gotten a phone call informing me that I had been approved for full disclosure and that all I had to do was meet with the Director of Human Resources' assistant and their company's Lawyer to sign the NDA in order to commence to the next stage of the application process. I had a video meeting with the Director, himself, and as he introduced himself and explained the job that I was applying for, as well as the possible promotions that could follow. Needless to say, I was hooked. Even the fact that I would likely need to live at the facility nearly five days a week didn't even deter my fascination, even if it was an inconvenience of epic proportions.

My roommates, Kate and Edward, however, were another story altogether. I probably told them more than they were allowed to really know, but the NDA only outlined the finer points of the matter, leaving the rest up to me. Either way, they were my family and deserved to know at least the basics. Not to mention, I trusted them with my life and knew they would never say anything. Needless to say that they didn't exactly like the idea of me taking a classified job at a place that they weren't allowed to know anything about, and especially didn't like the part where I'd have to stay there out there in the middle of the desert during the week for convenience purposes - not that I blamed them. Kate had somehow gotten it in her head that I was signing my body and life away to an underground gang who were determined to turn me into a sex slave to be sold off to the highest bidder. But I'd assured them that it was a legitimate job with tax records and everything. After a long battle of wills, they finally let it go and agreed that I had to follow my own path, but made me promise to keep in near constant communication until they've grown more comfortable and familiar with the prospect and accommodations.

But that wasn't the end of my journey to officially accept this position. After the personal interview, I had to get cleared physically by their doctors, receive vaccinations, and ensure that I would be mentally competent to work at the compound. That in itself had taken longer than the actual application process. It was all worth it in the end, though, to receive the phone call from Director Howe, congratulating me on my admittance, should I choose to accept it.

"Ms. Swan?" A woman's voice caught my attention as the door buzzed open, revealing a woman with dark black hair and a slightly tanned complexion who looked to be about thirty. She was wearing a white pencil skirt and blazer with a powder blue blouse, her hair pulled up into a sophisticated french twist.

"Yes, that's me," I smiled as I stepped forward, relieved to find at least someone in this building who would treat me like a person and who had any personality.

"My name is Sue Clearwater, and I'm the Director of Human Resources," she held out her hand to introduce herself, shifting the clipboard and tablet she was holding onto the crook of her left arm.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," I smiled as I reached out to take her outstretched hand, "I'm Bella, but you seem to already know that."

"Yes, I believe you'd met with my assistant, Rachel, during your application process. Though, I'll assume that you'll be surprised to find that everyone will know who you are by dinner tonight. We don't get many new hire's around here, as I'm sure you can imagine." Sue took her hand back and gestured to her clipboard, which held a large manila envelope, as well as other paperwork.

"Here, I have the originals of everything you gave our office staff, as well as your new security credentials, which also double as your keys to gain entry into all the areas that you've been granted clearance into." She explained as she handed me the envelope. "First, I've been instructed to take you on a tour of the premises where you will meet some of your superiors and coworkers, and then I will take you by the security office to pick up your belonging from where you dropped to be inspected. Finally, from there, I will take you to your living quarters where you can unpack and get accustomed to your suite where you'll be living most of the week."

"Okay, that sounds great. Thank you, Director Clearwater," I smiled, slipping the manila folder into my messenger bag.

"Call me Sue," she waved me off. "I'm not nearly as formal as some of the other people you'll meet around here."

I followed the Director over to the set of automatic double sliding doors from where she had just appeared through and watched as she instructed me how to use my keycard to gain entrance into this high tech facility. However, it was a lot more complicated than just swiping my keycard through the slit and she explained that the higher clearance areas would be just like this with possibly more security. The main entrance to the entire facility, where we were about to enter through, was the only exception and would require a fingerprint scan on top of the keycard to gain entry. If the two didn't match up or weren't listed in the security system, the silent alarm would be triggered and armed security officers would arrive in a matter of seconds.

"We'll be stopping at the processing center before we begin the tour so that we can get you squared away in our systems," Sue explained as we made our way through the set of sliding automatic doors and into a long neutral corridor painted completely in white.

We didn't make it too far down the hallway before she turned to face a door on our left, swiping her keycard before giving a retinal scan and typing in what appeared to be a four digit pin code.

"Are all the doorways going to be like this?" I asked as the door slid itself open. There were no door knobs that I could see on any of the entryways in this hallway and I couldn't help but wonder about the additional hastle.

"Good heavens, no!" She laughed as she gestured for me to enter in front of her. "Each floor as we go down will require a specific level of clearance, but will be the only time you will need to go through this whole to-do. Basically, in a nutshell, the further you go down, the higher the security. But once you're on the floor itself, you won't have to do more than swipe your credentials to enter any locked doorway. However, there are exceptions to every rule, but you'll be notified of any changes as you go."

As we made our way inside a dark room, which was a surprising contrast to the brightly lit white hallway and reception center, I noticed a man around my age with curly red hair sitting in front of a computer screen. He had a friendly face, unlike the sour-pusses at the reception area, and big hazel eyes behind a pair of black framed glasses. He didn't seem to notice us right away, what with the large headphones covering both of his ears as he concentrated on the different monitors in front of him.

Sue made her way around the desk and placed her hand on his shoulder to get his attention, causing him to jump a bit in his seat and spin around sideways..

"Sweet Jesus, Sue! I didn't hear you come in!" He grinned as he removed his headphones and leaning back casually in his chair, revealing his black button down with his sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows, and khaki slacks. "What can I do you for?"

She grinned, gesturing at me, and he spun the chair around as he noticed me for the first time. "Benjamin Cheney, I would like to introduce you to our newest hire, Isabella Swan."

"Ah yes, the new lab rat Howe hired," He rose from his seat and held out his hand, "Good to finally see a new face around here. Call me Ben."

"It's Bella," I couldn't help but to grin widely as I shook his hand. He just had that type of comical personality where you just couldn't help but to smile. "Nice tie," I nodded down at the fabric hanging from around his neck, regarding the black and white photos of the Three Stooges.

Ben looked down at his chest, taking the tie in his hands and laughed. "Yeah, I like to add a little something extra to this place. Some of the people working here act as though they have a twenty-foot flag pole stuck up their asses while sitting on a cactus. It can be so monotonous at times."

I bit my lip, trying to hold back a smile as I thought back to the way the office staff eyed me before ignoring me altogether. "Yeah, so I've noticed."

"Oh, you're talking about our five star reception service," He grinned widely, revealing a pair of dimples indenting both of his cheeks. "Fantastic, aren't they?"

"If by fantastic, you mean mundane, then yeah, sure," I rolled my eyes, "What's up with that, anyway? Aren't the people working at the front supposed to be, I don't know... welcoming, or, dare I say, friendly?"

It was Sue who answered, "Well, technically, you're right, but this isn't exactly the kind of place that you want to encourage people to revisit."

"You can say that again," Ben mumbled as he sat back down and began to fiddle with his mouse.

Sue shot him a disapproving glare, but continued on. "Basically, their jobs are more along the lines of keeping up with everything in my H.R. department, as well as assisting with office work and helping to manage the army base up above."

"I guess that makes more sense," I shrugged.

Ben rolled his eyes, "Yeah,lucky you."

Sue laughed,"Anyway, let's get you processed and we can officially begin our tour."

Ben gestured to the machine on the far right. "We'll start with getting your fingerprints scanned in, and then move on to your retinas."

* * *

It took about a half an hour to get me completely entered into the security system's software, and by the end of it, I had both hands fully printed, my retna's scanned, given a small sample of my DNA, came up with my own four digit passwords, and created an accurate voice analysis. It was crazy, the kind of security this place had. I almost felt like I was in a futuristic Sci Fi movie. Edward would absolutely thrive in a place like this.

"Now that that's done, we'll get started on the tour, and then get you settled in to your suite. You won't be starting work in the lab until tomorrow, Wednesday, so you have all day today to get your bearings and get used to the layout." Sue explained as we made our way down the hall, stopping in front of the bank of elevators down at the very end. "If you have any questions as we go, feel free to ask. And remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question."

"I'll remember that, thanks," I smiled as she summoned the elevator, displaying her perfectly manicured nails..

It didn't take more than a handful of seconds for the car to arrive and we stepped inside.

"Here is where the majority of the security checkpoints lie," she gestured towards the touch screen monitor mounted onto the wall on the side in place of where you would normally see the rows of buttons advertizing their designated floor. The screensaver wasn't anything flashy. Instead, it had the company's logo bouncing around a navy blue backdrop.

"As I explained to you earlier, the lower you go, the higher your security clearance needs to be. So, I will only be showing you the places that you'll need to be familiar with."

"Sounds good," I nodded.

"Go ahead and pull out your keycard and I'll show you how to work the security software."

I reached into my messenger's bag and removed the manilla envelope she had given me earlier, reaching inside to pull out the requested object. I saw that it had a sturdy clip and was retractable so that I didn't have to take it off each time I needed to use it.

"Just clip that onto your blouse," she instructed and showed me how easily it can be removed for when I wanted to take it off. "Now just stand in front of the monitor and slide the card down the right side over there."

I did as she instructed, bringing the monitor back to life, revealing my newly taken photo along with a long list of places, such as the dining hall, living quarters, the different labs I would be using, and, of course, our present floor, among others. Along side of those names were also the floor numbers.

"We'll start off with the dining hall and finish with your living quarters," Sue explained as she began to show me how to work the system. She also demonstrated the security of each floor, and how to provide the different scans necessary. The different labs were the only ones with higher security clearance, whereas places like the dining hall didn't need more than a swipe of your keycard.

* * *

I was amazed by the expansive facility and everything I saw. It was all so light and open, you would never in a million years guess that you were actually underground. I found that the labs I would be working in were far more high-tech than I was used to and knew that it was going to take me a while to get the hang of everything around here.

We were currently on our way to the office of Dr. Carmen Granger, who was going to be my new Supervisor, under the lab's Director, Liam Howe, who was the one to hire me.

"Carmen is a bit of a stickler and doesn't interact well with people in a general setting, but I think you'll find that you'll like working with her. I haven't gotten very many complaints from anyone regarding her or her work ethics, so far." Sue chatted with me as we made our way up the stairs to a large loft overlooking this part of the lab.

We then came up to a U-shaped desk with a quirky looking light-skinned African American secretary, who smiled when she saw us approaching. "Hi Sue!"

"Hey Zafrina," she smiled as we stopped in front of her desk. "This is Isabella Swan. She's a new hire for the labs and is working under Carmen."

"Oh yeah, I remembered her saying that we were getting some fresh blood around here soon," she winked. "You here to introduce her?"

"You caught us," Sue smirked, leaning her elbow against the countertop.

"Well, she and Director Howe are just getting ready to finish up their meeting with the company's CEO, so you'll get to meet him, as well, if you haven't already." Zafrina said looking down at her watch.

"I'd met Director Howe when we video chatted during my interview, but this will be the first time meeting him in person," I clarified before shifting the conversation. "So, who's the CEO, anyway?" I asked out of general curiosity.

I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, but Zafrina's eyes seemed to spark at the mention of him and it almost looked like Sue was trying to hide a smile. Their reaction intrigued me as I wondered at the origins of it, but decided not to ask, figuring that it wouldn't be appropriate first day talk.

"Oh, that'd be Jasper Whitlock," Sue replied as she continued to hide her reaction. "You will probably run into him on occasion - while he's here, anyway."

"Why wouldn't he be here?" I cocked my head slightly to the side as we made our way into a small sitting area off to the side of Zafrina's desk. "Doesn't he need to be here to run the company?"

They both looked at me with odd, dubious expressions.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of Jasper Whitlock?" Zafrina gasped with a look of incredulity.

I held my hands up in mock surrender, "Sorry, guilty."

Zafrina scoffed, shaking her head. "Where have you been? He's a 28 year old bazillionaire who's like been on the cover of nearly every business, gossip and celebrity magazine in the country! basically owns the entire city - a casino or two, as well as several business franchises, clubs and restaurants, and that's only in Vegas. He also owns and invented JW Enterprises, which also has a building in both California and New York City. Not to mention, he's gorgeous!"

"Sounds like you've got all the intel," Sue smirked suggestively.

Zafrina waved her off, "Girl, you know I'm taken. But that doesn't mean I don't have eyes."

Just then, the double doors to the right a little ways down the wide hallway behind Zafrina's desk opened and a group of people emerged, all wearing expensive business attire. Sue and I stood and made our way back over to the front of Zafrina's desk where we waited for Carmen while Zafrina moved around behind her desk, gathering several stacks of paperwork.

"Looks like you got here just in time," Zafrina noted as she rounded her desk. However, just as she stepped out, she was bumped into by one of the men with a black leather briefcase, causing all of her papers to scatter on the floor at her feet.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She apologized as bent down to pick up everything that she dropped.

The man she'd bumped into just glared down at her and scoffed, rolling his eyes before turning to resume the conversation he'd been having with the two similarly dressed men beside him.

"Here, let me help you," I volunteered, setting my messenger bag off to the side against her desk as I squatted down to help her with the mess.

"Oh, no, you don't have to," she waved me off.

"It's fine," I insisted as I started to gather the array of scattered papers into a neat pile. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be in any particular order, but did the best I could.

Just then, I noticed another set of beautifully manicured masculine hands join in on our quest as he picked up the last stapled pamphlet and handed it to me.

I looked up to thank him, following the line of his arm into a pair of startlingly blue eyes, and gasped, sucking in a quick breath.

"Uh, thanks," I nodded, hesitantly taking the pamphlet from his outstretched hand and rose to my feet.

"You're very welcome," he answered in a deep, slightly raspy yet alluring voice, immediately causing a mass of butterflies to erupt in my stomach. I'd never heard a voice like his before. It sounded like a beautiful mixture of lush velvet and sex, the type of voice that you could imagine coaxing you into a heady climax.

I continued to stare at him wide-eyed, taking in the immaculate form that belonged to the sex-like voice of the Adonis in front of me. He was tall with broad shoulders that filled out his very expensive grey suit and checkered silver tie handsomely. His curly blonde hair was pushed back at the perfect length that made me want to run my fingers through it, knowing it would be soft to the touch and perfect to hold on to in the throes of passion. His sculpted cheekbones were covered in short stubble, giving him that ruggedly handsome appearance that I always found so appealing on a man, and his blue eyes were so bright and such a stunning shade of blue. They were the kind where you felt as though you could see deep into his soul, able to unravel all of his deepest, darkest secrets. It scared me, and yet I couldn't bring myself to look away.

God, what was I doing? I was just standing here ogling this man and haven't said more than two words to him. But I just couldn't manage to do more than that as I stood here completely dumbstruck by his extreme good looks and the instant connection I felt with him as he looked back at me. I could imagine that he turned heads wherever he went, and I began to wonder what it would be like to be so attractive to garner that kind of attention, to be the cause of everyone in sight doing a double-take, unsure if the person they were looking at really existed outside of their deepest fantasies.

"I don't think I've seen you around here before," the gorgeous stranger noted, "I'm Jasper Whitlock. And you are?"

So this was Jasper Whitlock. Zafrina wasn't kidding when she said he was gorgeous.

At the quirk of his brow, I suddenly realized that I hadn't responded to his question. Instead, I was still standing here looking like a loon, and shook myself out of my stupor. "Isabella, uh Bella Swan," I managed to respond, shocking even myself at my ability to speak. "I'm new here."

"Ah, so that explains it," he smirked, revealing a dimple on his left cheek. "I was so sure that I would've remembered such a beautiful face, had I seen it before."

I felt a blush rise to my cheeks and awkwardly cleared my throat, tearing my gaze away from him to hand Zafrina her papers back. She had been standing off to the side with an amused smirk as she watched this trainwreck of an introduction take place.

This wasn't me. I didn't get speechless or shell-shocked over a man I just met, no matter his good looks! What was wrong with me?

"Thanks," Zafrina winked at me and nodded politely at Jasper before indiscreetly walking away, leaving the two of us alone in perplexing silence.

"Uh, so, it was nice to meet you, Mr. Whitlock, but I better get back over to Sue," I motioned with my thumb towards the woman in question, who looked to be speaking with who I assumed was Carmen Granger with Zafrina now standing off to the side of the duo.

"Of course," he nodded with a cocky grin on his face.

"Yeah, so...um...nice to meet you," I said once again as I awkwardly waved as I retreated.

"Ms. Swan?" He called, causing me to turn back around to see him holding my messenger's bag. "Don't want to forget this now, do we?"

"Oh, um, right," I quickly reapproached him and took my bag from him with a nod, "Thanks...again."

He nodded once more, still wearing that cocky, yet incredibly sexy smirk. "I'm sure I'll see you again soon."

"Uh, yeah, sure," I swung the bag over my shoulder and began to retreat for the second time. "Bye."

I could still feel his stare heating my back as I made my way over to where Sue stood. I pictured the intense gaze as I walked, but quickly shook him from my thoughts, needing to keep myself level-headed and focused as I met my new superiors.

Instead, I took this time to take in my new supervisor's appearance, noting her shiny black hair that was sharply pulled back out of her face and into a tight bun, military style. She reminded me of a librarian gone commando with her thickly rimmed glasses that hid her dark eyes, and pants suit.

"Oh, perfect timing!" Sue smiled as soon as she noticed me taking the last couple of steps to her side. "Carmen, this the new lab technician that Director Howe hired, Isabella Swan."

"It's very nice to meet you, Ms. Granger," I smiled and held out my hand for her to shake. "I'm really looking forward to working here under such a brilliant mind, like yourself."

She eyed me speculatively and didn't reach forward to shake my hand, only nodded her greeting and replied with an "I'm sure you are," before turning to Zafrina and flipping through several of the papers that I'd helped her pick up.

I haphazardly lowered my hand and quirked a curious brow at Sue, who shrugged with an 'I told you so' look in my direction. She seemed to spot something or someone over my shoulder, her eyes lighting up as her attention flickered back to me.

"There's Director Howe, now," she nodded behind me in the direction she had been looking, and I turned to see the Director making his way over to our group. Turning back, I noticed how she seemed to quickly straighten her outfit, almost as if she was getting ready to see someone she was doting on, and if this was true, I couldn't blame her. Even though he was nearly twice my age, Liam Howe had that young looking face under his shortly trimmed goatee and there wasn't so much as a single grey hair mixed in with his dark brown streaks. Not to mention, he was nice to talk to and seemed to be able to make anyone comfortable in his presence.

"Ladies," He smiled his charmingly aristocratic smile that had contented and calmed me during our video interview. He noticed me immediately, his grey eyes lighting up and his smile brightening. "Ms. Swan, it's good to see that you've gotten settled in here okay."

"Yes, thank you," I grinned. "Sue was actually just giving me a tour and introduced me to Ms. Granger." I turned slightly to look over at my supervisor, only to see that she was still completely consumed with the paperwork Zafrina was showing her as they walked back around the secretary's desk.

Director Howe chuckled, "Carmen takes some getting used to, but I think that you'll find that you like working with her. She's a very driven and focused employee, and has done great things for this company."

"Yes, that's what I've been hearing," I replied, shifting my messenger's bag higher up onto my shoulder.

"I trust that Sue is making you feel welcome?" His eyes shifted to the blushing Sue, who nodded and smiled, but didn't seem to be able to do much more than that.

"She's been a great host and tour guide, so far," I answered for her when she didn't reply.

"Wonderful," he grinned while looking down at his rolex, "Unfortunately, I am not able to join the two of you for the rest of the tour. I have a one o'clock meeting that I should be getting to. But I'm sure we will all see plenty of each other in the future."

"I'm sure we will," I agreed, looking back over at Sue as I willed her with my eyes to speak. I would have elbowed her if it wouldn't have made my attempt appear so , luckily, I didn't have to.

"Yes, I'd like that," she managed to squeak out in the midst of clearing her throat.

"Well, then, good day, you two. Enjoy the rest of your tour," He nodded his goodbye before turning away and making his towards the staircase that we had used several minutes earlier.

When he was finally out of sight, I turned to Sue and smirked, quirking my brow inquisitively.

"What?" She asked, feigning ignorance, not willing to meet my stare.

Normally, I wasn't so colloquial around new people, but with Sue, I felt like I could just hang out and be myself around her, even if she was a few years my senior.

I scoffed, "Don't play dumb with me. I saw that. You like him, don't you?"

She looked away, seemingly unable to look at me as she answered, "I don't know what you're talking about."

I gave her an exasperated eye roll. "You're kidding me, right? I mean, look at you. You're still blushing!"

Sue sighed in resignation. "Is it that obvious?"

I laughed, "You could barely say four words to the man!"

"I know, I know," she relented with a groan, "But I can't help it! He just always get's me tongue tied and I can't explain it, but it's like I can't be myself around the man. You know what I mean?"

My mind flashed back to my recent encounter with Jasper Whitlock and my smile faded slightly as I nodded. "Yeah, I get it completely."

She seemed to notice my hesitance to delve down that conversational route and took pity on me. "Well, let's finish up with this tour and get you settled into your living quarters."

I perked back up and nodded, "Lead the way."

* * *

By the time we finished with the tour and picked up my bags from security, it was late afternoon, early evening.. The tour itself shouldn't have taken that long, but Sue and I had gotten to talking and the time seemed to have gotten away from us.

"So, you're from Colorado?" She asked as she helped me place my belonging on a rolling cart to take down to my new suite in the living quarters.

"Yeah, I'm from a town called Breckenridge," I answered as I placed one of my boxes onto the cart.

"Breckenridge like the brewing company?"

"One in the same," I confirmed, leaning my elbow on one of the boxes as I looked over at her from the other side of the cart. "It's actually a pretty small town with only about 4,500 people living there. The rest are tourists who come for the seasonal sports and activities."

"Really?" Her brows shot up. "What's there to do around there?"

"More than you'd think, actually," I smiled to myself as I recalled the fishing trips that my dad and I used to take when he was home from tour. "It's in the mountains, so there's a lot of skiing, snowboarding and such."

"That sounds like fun," she responded just as one of the armed security guys came over to me with a slip to sign.

"Thanks," I smiled at him before turning back to Sue. "Yeah, it was fun - that is, when I decided to go or was dragged along. I was more of the kind of girl who was buried in her books while adjusting her microscope."

"Really?" she studied me. "I guess I can picture that."

We laughed and began to wheel my belonging out of the security office and down the hallway towards the bank of elevators. The living quarters didn't have as much security as the lab did, so it didn't take more than a swipe of my keycard to get us down to the right floor.

"Yours is number 1427," Sue pointed out as we entered the 1420's. "Stop right here on your right."

I stopped in front of the entryway that mimicked a hotel suite's and used my credentials to unlock the door. It made a quiet buzzing sound and then a 'click' before it pushed itself open a couple of inches.

Taking in a deep breath to prepare myself, I pushed the door the rest of the way open and stepped inside, relishing the first glimpse of my new accommodations.

I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the L-shaped apartment, figuring that it would have been a lot smaller and simpler, especially since it already came beautifully furnished. It had a narrow entryway that immediately opened up into a spacious living room/dining room combination with a small kitchen off to the right with a breakfast bar. The warm color combination with the unique furniture designs gave it a homey feeling, a complete contrast to the stark white in the hallway. A glass wall with sliding doors separated the bedroom from the rest of the apartment and had a spacious ensuite that could be entered from both the bedroom and livingroom.

"There's a button on the light switches that frosts the glass so that no one can see into it incase you need the extra privacy." Sue explained as she came up from behind me.

"Thanks," I smiled, turning to face her, "For everything, I mean. I have to admit that I was feeling really nervous about coming here and accepting this job since it's so out of the ordinary, but you've really made me feel welcome."

She appeared humbled by my statement, a soft blush rising to her cheeks as she replied, "It's no problem, really. I remember what it was like for me when I first took this job, and I have to say that if I had someone to make the transition easier, it probably wouldn't have been so hard for me to adjust to this place."

"How long have you been working here?" I wondered.

"About six years, now," she replied. "I started out as an assistant to the old Director of Human Resources, and when he retired, they offered me the job."

"How long ago was that?"

"Nearly two years ago."

"And you really like it here?" I pressed, still feeling anxious about this new position in such a bizarre, but prodigious company.

"I do," she answered honestly and genuinely. "It might not be admissible for some, what with us being so far away from civilization and not being allowed to discuss the deeper aspects of this place with anyone, but the perks by far outweigh any of that - in my opinion, at least."

"Yeah, I guess I can sympathize with that," I shrugged in agreement. "And the perks are pretty great." SInce the company was also funded by the government, the benefits and insurance rates were over the top, not to mention the weekly salary.

She let out a long sigh, "Well, I guess I'll leave you to unpack." She gestured at the L shaped desk that took up the corner. "The employee handbook, as well as the directory are in the top left hand drawer."

"Okay, thanks."

"Also, I'm in room 1363, right around the corner, if you need me or just want to talk and hang out," she informed me as she made her way towards the entryway.

"Definitely," I agreed, walking beside her until we stopped in front of the door and bid her farewell, gently shutting the world out behind her.

I made my way over to the large four-poster bed and collapsed onto it with a loud sigh. This was it. I had finally arrived after weeks of preparation, physicals, vaccinations and background checks. It all came down to this, and I was finally here and ready to start my new life working at this makeshift Area 51. I just hoped I was making the right choice.

 **A/N: Off to a good start - or so I hope! How did you guys like Jasper and Bella's first meeting? How will their relationship progress? Any thoughts on the underground compound? Review and let me know what you think!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note!**

 **To see more, go to my FF and Wattpad pages under the penname:  
** **Xo Bella Italiana oX**

 **If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page! Also, I am still accepting Twilight stories that involve Jasper/any female leads or Bella/selected male leads if anyone is looking for a Beta Reader. I will accept OC characters as well depending on the other lead character. I will also except other genres depending on the characters and the plot.**

 **PM me for details!**

 **- _Bella'Xo_  
** **Xo Bella Italiana oX**


	2. Chapter 2

** Disclaimer. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.**

 **Life's a Gamble**

 **A/N: This story is a completely original storyline and plot, only using Stephanie Meyer's Twilight characters that we all know and love. Everything else is completely mine. I really hope you guys enjoy it and give me your honest feedback.**

 **REMINDER : If anyone is interested in viewing PICTURES from each of the chapters (of a scene with the characters and their surroundings; including Jasper romance) check out the stories on my Wattpad page! The link is located on my profile!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! Enjoy! - Bella'Xo**

* * *

 _ **Previously...  
** **(Bella's POV)**_

 _She let out a long sigh, "Well, I guess I'll leave you to unpack." She gestured at the L shaped desk that took up the corner. "The employee handbook, as well as the directory are in the top left hand drawer."_

 _"Okay, thanks."_

 _"Also, I'm in room 1363, right around the corner, if you need me or just want to talk and hang out," she informed me as she made her way towards the entryway._

 _"Definitely," I agreed, walking beside her until we stopped in front of the door and bid her farewell, gently shutting the world out behind her._

 _I made my way over to the large four-poster bed and collapsed onto it with a loud sigh. This was it. I had finally arrived after weeks of preparation, physicals, vaccinations and background checks. It all came down to this, and I was finally here and ready to start my new life working at this makeshift Area 51. I just hoped I was making the right choice._

* * *

 ** Chapter 2: Conquests  
** **(Jasper's POV)**

I stood inside of my office, staring out at my staff members below me through the wall to wall, floor to ceiling window that overlooked the main lab inside the compound. Everyone looked to be consumed in their projects or some sort of beneficial work. Everyone, except me, that is.

I couldn't get her brilliant green eyes out of my mind. The way she looked at me like she could see right through me, discover every deep dark secret that I kept from the world around me. It was driving me crazy. I wasn't like this, wasn't this man. I didn't get consumed over one woman I'd only just met, much less for two minutes with only a handful of words spoken between us. But there was just something about her that drew me in, and I needed to figure out why.

I'd built my entire empire by solving puzzles, digging down deep to the inner core of things and figuring out what made them tick. It was a method I'd used in every aspect of my life and it has made me successful up to this point, especially in my business ventures. So, that is exactly what I would do. I'd break down her barriers, one by one, and find out what makes this Isabella Swan tick. Maybe then, I'd find out why she was able to affect me in a way no other woman has managed to with no more than a look. She'd be my new puzzle. All I had to do was put the pieces together.

I picked up the phone and hit the number seven on my speed dial.

"Wheeler," I spoke when he'd picked up my call, "I need you to get me whatever you can on an Isabella Swan. She's a new employee in the lab. I'll need this to be a top priority. Get it back to me ASAP."

"Yes sir," he answered in a low voice before I hung up my cell and pressed the top of it thoughtfully against my chin.

A knock on the door drew my attention and I turned to see my secretary, Tanya, poking her head in the doorway.

"Excuse me, Mr. Whitlock, but your 3 o'clock is here."

I nodded, straightening my tie. "Send him in."

* * *

 **(Bella's POV)**

I was nearly finished putting my kitchen utensils away when I heard my cell phone vibrating against the coffee table, startling me out of my absent-mindedness. I rushed through organizing the last of the silverware and scurried into the livingroom to pick up my cell, briefly noting that it was my best friend, Kate, whose name was on the caller I.D..

"Hey!" I smiled, happy to hear a familiar voice after the long day today.

"Hey babe!" She greeted me with a cheerful tone, but got right to the point, as usual, "How's the new digs?"

"Great! Way better than I thought it'd be," I answered as I looked around my new accommodations.

"And the job?"

I sighed, knowing that she'd try to pump me for details, once again. "Kate, you know I'm not allowed to say."

"I know, I know," she relented with a sigh, obviously used to hearing this response but unwilling to give up. "But you know I still think this is weird. I mean, what sort of workplace won't let you tell anyone what you're doing and makes you actually live there? I mean, you have to admit, that's just freaky."

"We've been over this," I collapsed onto the beige couch and pulled my feet up under me. "I can leave here whenever I want. It's not like they're holding me hostage. I will be home on the weekends, so it's not like you won't see me. It's just easier to commute if I don't have to drive almost two hours into the desert and back every day."

"Yeah, and that's another thing! You're out there in the middle of no where! No one can get to you if something happens out there."

"Oh really? What, pray tell, could possibly happen that you'd need to get to me for?" I balked in amusement.

"You know..." she began, obviously reaching in her quest to convince me that I was making a mistake. "Something could happen where I'd need...you could get hurt!"

Her concern was touching, but it wasn't a reason for me to pull out.

"They have doctors and nurses on staff, Katie," I continued to rebuff her. "Anything medical related can be taken care of here, and, if it's that serious, they have helicopter to rush me into the city."

"Exactly - that's another thing! You didn't even take your car with you! How are you going to get back here?" She pressed. "What if there's an emergency and I need you? How will you get home?"

"The same way I got here; by helicopter," I rolled my eyes. "But, even then, that's just for this week. I'll be taking my car back and forth from now on."

She sighed, "Bella, you know your car isn't in that good of shape. What if you break down? There'll be no one to help you and nothing around for miles."

"So I'll just have to save up to buy a new one," I quipped, feeling the agitation getting the better of me. But I knew she was only acting this way because she cared, so I couldn't fault her for that. So, I paused to take in a deep breath as I calmed myself down. "Look, it's only my first day. Give me a break and some time to work everything out. I promise that everything will be fine."

"I know," I could hear the resignation in her voice when she realized that she wasn't going to change my mind about working here, especially now that I've seen the jaw-dropping facility that I'll be working in. "But you know I just worry about you. We've been like sisters growing up and now I feel like I'm barely ever going to see you. And I'm not the only one who feels this way. Edward is worried, too."

"I'm sure he is, but he knows I'm a big girl who can make her own decisions and can take care of herself." I smirked.

"It doesn't feel right without you here. The house feels empty." I could practically picture the pout she was wearing as she said this.

I laughed, "It's not like you're living there alone. You have Edward, and he's been an awesome roommate to us."

"Yeah, yeah, he doesn't count," she waved him off just in time for me to hear his voice echo in the background through the speaker.

"What do you mean 'I don't count'? Who are you talkin' to?"

"Busted," I grinned.

"Sneaky bastard," she grumbled into the receiver before answering Edward, her voice sounding further away from the receiver as she spoke to him, "I didn't mean it like that! I just miss Bella."

"Is that her on the phone? Let me talk to her!" He sounded anxious and wasted no time in wrestling the phone from Kate. "Hey babygirl."

"Hi Edward," I giggled and smiled wistfully, just now realizing how much I'd miss seeing these two important people every day. We'd been living together for the past year in a condo in Vegas after leaving California State University where we'd all attended college, and haven't gone a full day without seeing each other since.

"How was your first day? Are they treating you okay? They didn't give you some rundown version of a Motel 6 for a room, did they?"

I laughed, "No, actually it's a lot nicer than I expected. It's like a small apartment and has everything I'll need."

"Well, at least that's good to hear," he sighed, and I could picture him running a hand through his messy bronze hair.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" He balked, "I'm not the one who left to start a new job out who knows where in the desert, doing only God knows what."

"Ouch," I smirked.

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry, I understand that everything's fine and you've got this handled. I'm just missing you, is all."

I scoffed, "I haven't even been gone a full day."

"Doesn't feel like it," he murmured.

"Well, you'll see me this weekend when I come home," I reassured him. "And you can reach me whenever on my cell. Nothing's changed."

"Yeah, yeah," he dismissed me. I could hear Kate pestering him in the background and he sighed, "Look, babe, I've got to go. Katie's being all pissy and wants the phone back. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay," I snickered, "Bye."

Kate's voice immediately filled the speaker, "So, now that dickhead's gone, where were we...? Oh yeah, your new job." She began, "I know you can't tell me much of anything because of that ridiculous NDA you signed during your interview, but tell me this much; are there any hot guys working there? Did you meet anyone noteworthy?"

I could feel a blush beginning to rise to my cheeks as my thoughts flickered to Jasper's smile and the intense way he'd looked at me through those beautiful blue eyes...

However, Kate knew me enough to have heard the hesitation and immediately pounced."Oh my gosh, you did!"

I bit my lip to keep myself from smiling as I answered, "It's possible."

"Now you have to tell me! Spill it, girl. Who is he?"

"Uh," I stuttered, not knowing exactly what to say. "His name is Jasper Whitlock. He -"

Her gasp cut me off before I could say more. "Jasper Whitlock? As in the Jasper Whitlock, the famous billionaire entrepreneur?"

"I guess that's him," I answered, shocked at the fact that she, along with everyone else seemed to know who this guy was, and I'd only found out this afternoon. Was I really that out of touch with the world these days?

"Ah!" She squealed, "How on earth did you meet him? He works there? Is he as gorgeous in person as he was on the cover of People?"

"Um...he owns the company, and...I don't know, I've never even heard of him before today," I answered in exasperation, much to her clearly rendered astonishment.

"Oh, sweetie... we so need to get your pretty little head out of those books you love so much and back into the real world," she tsked, chastising me before suddenly backpedaling. "Wait, did you say he's the CEO of the place where you're working?"

"Yeah,I met him during the tour." And, just then, I realized I probably shouldn't be telling her this. "Shit, Kate, I don't think you're supposed to know about that, so can you keep it to yourself?"

"Sure, yeah, no problem," she quickly answered in a dismissive tone before pushing me onward for more information. "So, you like him?"

I sighed, "I don't know, I mean, I don't really know anything about the guy."

"Yeah, we'll have to do something about that," she mused. "I'll email you the interviews he did for Forbes and Entrepreneur."

"Or I could just ask the guy and get to know him the old fashion way - should I even decide to pursue him?" I suggested.

"We'll do both," she concluded as though I hadn't just voiced any other possibility.

Before I could argue my point, someone started to knock on my door, saving me from any more talk or discussions about Jasper Whitlock. I knew that no matter how much I protested, she would do what she felt was best for me, regardless.

"Hey, Kate, someone's at the door. I'll call you tomorrow." I told her as I made my way to the front door.

"You better!" She threatened and giggled as she hung up.

Shaking my head at her antics, I shoved my phone into the back pocket of my old spliced jeans and removed the chain on my door, pulling it open to see Zafrina standing there wearing a much different set of clothing than I had seen her in earlier. She looked more laid back in a dark pair of jeans and a nice pink t-shirt.

"Hey, what's up?" I stepped aside to let her in.

"Hey! I just wanted to see if you wanted to head down to the dining hall with me to get some dinner? I could introduce you to some more of your coworkers."

"Um, sure, yeah...that sounds great," I agreed, but frowned as I looked down at my attire. "Am I dressed okay?" I was wearing an old pair of dark washed jeans that had been spliced at the thighs and knees, however, contrary to belief, they did not come this way. The hunter green sweater I was wearing was soft and fitted, but not something I'd wear at work. I was completely dressed for comfort. not expecting to leave my apartment for anything tonight.

Zafrina didn't spare more than a brief glance at my outfit before nodding, "You're fine. Outside of work hours, you won't see anyone all dolled up, unless we're at a function. JW Enterprises has a lot of those, and since they own and developed WINC Tech, we have the opportunity to attend them."

"That's good to know," I mused. "I heard that they are having one in the city this Saturday night, right?" I remembered Sue had been telling me about it earlier during the tour.

She nodded, "The charity fundraiser. They have a lot of those, as well."

"Really? What's this one for?" I wondered.

"It's a children's fundraiser to support kids in the foster care system," she explained, seemingly well informed. "Are you gonna go?"

I thought about it for a second and nodded, a small smile pulling at my lips. "I think I will."

"Great! I'm going too, so we'll see each other there! I can introduce you to my boyfriend, Nahuel." Zafrina seemed excited and I figured that Kate and Edward would like the scene, too. Plus, it would help ease their worries when they see the kind of people I was working with.

* * *

Zafrina and I entered the expansive dining hall and headed over to the buffet-style display of food where they had an assortment of meats, veggies and grains. I ended up with some chicken ravioli and a side salad before grabbing a bottled water and following Zafrina over to a small group of people she was obviously close with, who were already sitting at one of the large round tables that were scattered around the room.

"Isabella, this is is Jared, Mike, Jessica, and Ben," She went down the line and pointed each person out. "Everyone, this is Isabella Swan. She starts work tomorrow in the labs under Carmen and Director Howe."

"Yeah, we met earlier," Ben winked. "I had the honor of being one of the first to greet our new friend, here."

"Lucky you," I laughed, taking an empty seat at the table and placing my tray down in front of me.

"So, Isabella, is it? Where are you from?" Mike asked, turning his head of spiked blonde hair in my direction, showcasing a piercing he had in his left ear.

"Please, call me Bella," I corrected, for what seemed like the tenth time today, "And, right now, I'm staying in Vegas with two of my friends."

"Honey, we're all from Vegas," Jessica rolled her eyes, but smiled. She was obviously the most outspoken member of the group, and was very pretty with her red/brown hair pulled back into a messy bun.

"He meant to ask where you came from originally," Jared elaborated. He was very handsome, an obvious ladies man with short, wavy, dark hair, tanned skin, and hazel eyes.

"Oh, um, I grew up in a small town in Colorado and then went to California State for college." I answered with a small shrug.

"Small town, huh? Wouldn't know what that's like. I'm originally from Seattle," Zafrina commented as she broke off a piece of bread to dip in her spaghetti sauce.

"What about the rest of you?" I wondered, trying to make conversation while getting to know the people I'd be spending so much time with.

"Cincinnati," Jared voiced between bites. Mike spoke next, followed by Jessica who claimed to be from Orlando and Wilmington.

"I'm from New York City, baby!" Ben grinned widely. "No place like it anywhere in the world!"

"Then why did you leave?" Mike laughed, tossing a piece of his bread at him.

He guffawed like he couldn't believe the audacity of Mike's question. "Like I'd pass up the opportunity to work under Jasper Whitlock. The man's fucking brilliant!"

"Well, you're not wrong there," Jessica mumbled in agreement, and I couldn't help the questionable feeling of jealousy that coursed through me when she spoke about him. She acted as though she knew him on a more intimate level, which I wouldn't doubt with her supreme good looks and sass. However, I quickly shook it off. Jasper wasn't mine to claim and obviously never would be. I barely knew the man and needed to stop thinking of him in any way other than being the owner of the company I worked for.

We all continued to make small talk as we got to know each other, and by the time I was finished with my meal, I had discovered that Jared was as big of a flirt and ladies man I'd pictured him as when I'd first seen him, just as Ben was easily the practical jokester he made himself out to be. I also learned that Mike was in an on again, off again relationship with a man named Quil, who was also a close friend of Jessica's that she'd met through a fling she had with one of the men on the army base, topside.

"What about you, Bella? Are you seeing anyone special?" Zafrina asked as she took the last bite of a meatball.

I shook my head and looked down at my plate, not willing to make eye contact with any of these people as I answered, "No, I'm not seeing anyone these days."

"Bummer," Ben hummed, spinning his empty plate in front of him.

"Not for me," Jared winked, causing a rush of shyness to course through me as I turned away from him. I wasn't used to someone hitting on me the way that he was. Sure, I got asked out on dates and have had the occasional boyfriend, but none of them had ever been so blunt about it before. He was definitely attractive and appeared to be a nice guy, however he just wasn't the type of guy I was in to. Flirting was second nature for a guy like him, so I didn't credit myself as anything special and mentally dismissed his advances.

"I don't know about that, Jay," Zafrina smirked as she eyed the two of us, back and forth.

"What? You don't think I have a shot?" He looked appalled at the notion that a woman wouldn't be interested in him and his indisputable charm.

"Well," Zafrina dragged out, a suggestive gleam in her eyes. "I saw Ms. Thing, over here, with Mr. Whitlock earlier today, and he seemed to be really checking her out." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively and playfully bumped my shoulder with hers.

"Stop it, he was not," I objected, my face getting hotter as the rest of the table began to make cat calls and praises of their approval.

"Girl, he couldn't take his eyes off of you when you walked away from him," She insisted.

I rolled my eyes, smirking at her, unable to keep the smile from forming. "And how would you know? You had your hands full with Carmen and her millions of pamphlets." I reminded her, thinking back to earlier this afternoon. I seemed to be doing that a lot today and it needed to stop. "Plus, we barely even spoke."

"Some of the most important things don't need words to be said in order to get the point across," Mike implied.

"And that man said over a dozen different things with that one look he gave you," Zafrina agreed with a self-satisfied grin.

I just shook my head, my smile unwilling to dissipate as I looked over at her. "Good God, you sounded so much like my friend, Kate, just now."

"Must be a smart girl," she resolved.

"Well, it looks like we'll get to test your theory, girls," Jessica nodded at something over to my left, "Because the man in question just walked in."

My eyes widened and I immediately whipped my head in the direction she'd motioned towards and saw Jasper entering the large dining hall with a small entourage of followers dressed in various types of business attire. He had a stunning woman with platinum blonde hair walking next to him holding a tablet against her arm, and I could tell by the way that she was using her stylus to actively write notes as she followed along, that she was some sort of an assistant to him.

"That's Tanya," Zafrina explained as if reading my thoughts regarding the model at his side. "She's just his personal secretary."

"Why not tell her the whole truth?" Jessica interjected, ignoring Zafrina's cautionary glare at her insistence. "She's obviously gaga over him - hangs on his every word, and not just because she works for him, either."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as I now began to study the leggy blonde with a hint of envy. She was clearly much more his type - not that I cared or anything. But still, I couldn't help the reactions this man seemed to bring out in me. Just by existing and going on with his everyday life, he was creating an inner battle within myself, and, to be honest, I wasn't sure which side of me was going to win.

Still focused on the pair, I internally flinched as she placed a hand on his upper arm while she gestured at something on the screen of her tablet. He looked down and then smiled at her as he responded to whatever it was that she was saying.

I cleared my throat uneasily, "Are they…"

"An item?" Mike finished for me, and then shook his head, "She only wishes they were."

"Jasper isn't exactly the type to have real relationships," Jessica clarified.

I cocked my head to the side, only taking my eyes off of the pair for a second as I looked over at my tablemates. "Come again?"

"He has dates," Mike went on to explain.

"Very sexy ones," Ben added suggestively.

He rolled his eyes, "But nothing serious."

I nodded, turning back to Jasper and his secretary.

Just then, as if he sensed I was watching him, Jasper turned his head and looked right at me, a small smile pulling at his full lips as his eyes sparked with a sudden intrigue. Embarrassment coursed through me at having been caught, and I could feel the heat climbing up the back of my neck.

"Um, excuse me, I need to use the ladies room," I murmured, immediately ripping my gaze away from Jasper's as I pushed out of my seat and turned to head in the opposite direction from where he'd been conversing.

I quickly wove my way through the crowded room like a maze until I finally made it to the short hallway off to the side where the restrooms were located on either end of a built-in water fountain. Pushing the door open, I stepped inside before slamming it shut with my back pressed up against the cool metal in relief.

What is going on with me? I don't understand how he is making me react so out of character. I was normally so well put together, and most definitely never ran away from a man, primarily one who was virtually a stranger to me, before.

I was out of breath and nearly dizzy with confusion, mortification, and fear - of what, I didn't know. All I knew was that I needed to get Jasper Whitlock out of my system, and fast. I couldn't let him, or any other man, affect me in this way and possibly ruin what I had going for myself. Especially a man so out of my league, we may as well be on different planets.

Pushing off the door, I headed over to the sink, finding solace in the fact that I was the only one in here for the moment, and turned on the water as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My lengthy, thick dark curls were pulled back into a large clip with long wisps falling around my flushed face, and I reached over to pull some paper towels down from their dispenser to run under the cool water before dabbing them at my neck.

This was much better, I thought as I felt myself beginning to calm down, my breathing returning to normal. I reached behind me and pulled my clip out of my hair, causing it to fall in long ringlets down my back as I shook it out.

I stayed here for a few minutes longer before shutting off the water and slipping back out into the hallway, only to bump straight into a firm body wearing a grey suit and tie.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I automatically apologized as two strong hands shot out to steady me.

However, I already knew exactly who it was as I felt the familiar tingles of electricity that I'd felt the last time I was in his presence, and my stomach filled to the brim with dread and condensation that began swirling through the never ending cocktail of emotions that Jasper seemed to stir up in me

"It's quite alright," A deep voice answered as I looked up into the face of the very man I had been trying so hard to forget about all day. "I don't mind running into a beautiful woman, particularly one I've been eager to see again."

"Oh, Mr. Whitlock, hi," I bit my lip, not quite knowing what else to say to that.

"Good evening, Ms. Swan," he acknowledge me with the same cocky grin pulling at his lips, which were even more appealing up close."How was the rest of your tour this afternoon?"

"Fine," was all I seemed to come up with to describe this amazing facility and I was internally banging my head against a mental brick wall at the inadequate use of adjectives. I should have said something more along the lines of magnificent or stunning, but that one syllable word had been all that came out.

He seemed amused at my description, his baby blue eyes sparkling with mirth. "And you approve of your personal quarters, as well?"

"Yes," I rushed to clear my throat, continuously swallowing the lump that was forming the more I conversed with this strikingly handsome man. "They're lovely. Your interior designer did a great job." There, that sounded better.

"I'll be sure to tell her you said so," he said so casually.

"Oh, is she a friend of yours?" I shifted on my feet.

"My sister, actually. She's a bit of an artist," His smirk morphed into an affectionate smile as he spoke of her, and it created a budding admiration within me. Jasper obviously was very fond of his sister and proud of her talent.

I couldn't seem to control the tender smile that formed as I stared up at him, looking at him fully in the face for the first time since I'd run into him. His sculpted jaw and well-defined cheek-bones gave him a virile appearance and created an ache in my fingertips along with the desire to touch him there.

"You have the most amazing green eyes, Isabella," he complimented me, interrupting my assessment, and I ducked my head to hide the blush that was forming. Geez, this man seemed to know just what to say to cause the most bizarre reactions in me.

"It's Bella." I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, still unable to make eye contact with him. "And thank you."

"You're most welcome." He brazenly reached forward, turning my chin so I was looking back up at him.

My skin felt like it was on fire underneath his touch, causing me to suck in a quick breath. At that moment, I couldn't control the intense desire pumping through me, wishing that he'd lean in and press those perfect lips to mine. If his touch could devise such a needy fire in me, I could only imagine what his lips would produce with just one kiss.

He continued to stare down at me, those diligent blue eyes studying me with such intensity, almost as if he were trying to figure me out by breaking me apart and peering into my soul, as if he had the ability to do so. I wasn't sure how I felt about that and I could feel my heart hammering inside my chest. I looked back up at him, taking in my reflection mirroring back at me from within his eyes, and saw something else hidden within them. Sure, on the outside they held undeterred confidence and self-assured power, but behind all that made it all seem like a visage that hid so much of who he truly was inside. This knowledge was riveting and gave me the feeling of being hypnotized by what I saw; secrets that he was preventing the world to uncover.

Just then, a man exited from the men's room, shattering our self-created bubble as Jasper dropped his hand and stepped away from me. The man smiled and nodded at Jasper, and then me, acknowledging him first, by name, before disappearing back into the throng of people inside the dining hall.

Now that I was able to think clearly again, the spell having been broken, I knew that I needed to get away from him and put as much distance between us as possible. I had almost lost myself for a minute there, and then, with one look, one touch, he would just as easily have me back under his spell.

"I need to get back," I folded my hands in front of me. "And I'm sure you need to get back to your group, as well."

"They can wait," he dismissed them as though what we had going on at the moment was more important, and that surprised me.

I had to think fast. "Well, I can't. I have some more unpacking left to do before I go to bed for the night."

"Ah, yes, you're first official day of training in the labs tomorrow."

"Yes," I nodded, shifting so that I was gradually making my way closer to the end of the hall towards the crowded dining area.

"Would you like a hand?" His offer startled me and I froze.

"Oh, um, no thank you. I think I will be just fine on my own." I refused with an amused smile at the image it produced.

He accepted my refusal, however, he wasn't completely deterred. "Then maybe I can take you out some time? One day this weekend, perhaps?"

My eyebrows shot up, taken aback and - if I'm being completely honest - a bit thrilled at his proposition. "I appreciate the offer, Mr. Whitlock, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to pass."

That cocky smile reappeared on his face. "Oh? And why is that?"

I crossed my arms over my chest, feeling my self-sufficiency and confidence finally returning. Sure took it long enough.

"Mr. Whitlock, I'm sure you're not used to hearing this, let alone the word 'no', but I'm not interested in being just another notch on your bedpost, which I'm sure, by now, has dwindled down to a toothpick, if my assumptions are correct."

He seemed amused at my haughtily rebuff and took another step towards me, placing a hand against the wall behind me as he leaned in, effectively blocking my immediate path. My heart rate began to pick up, once again, at his proximity, but I did my best to keep the way he was affecting me off my face as the electricity crackled and popped between us.

"So I have a healthy sexual appetite. Name any man who doesn't?" He challenged me with his concentrated stare.

I rolled my eyes. "That's hardly the point."

"Then what is?"

"That I don't do casual flings, especially with someone like you." I glared.

Surprised curiosity reflected back at me. "Really? You have me figured out so quickly?"

"I know your type."

"And what type is that?" He murmured as he leaned in closer so that we were only a hair's breadth away. With just the simplest tilt of my head, our lips would be pressed together - a very tempting notion, but I knew better than to make it that easy.

So, unwilling to back down, I stood my ground. "The type who is used to getting everything he wants in life without so much as a snap of his fingers, but then dismisses it as easily as he gets it. I refuse to be your plaything that you only toy with when it suits you."

He narrowed his eyes indignantly. "Well, I'm also not the type who does full-blown relationships."

A triumphant smile lit up my face. "Then, I believe, Mr. Whitlock, that we are at an uncompromisable impasse." I stepped sideways to make my way around him. "Have a good evening, Mr. Whitlock."

He pushed off the wall with his hand and nodded, following me with his eyes. "I'll talk to you again soon, Ms. Swan." The way he said that was like saying that this conversation wasn't over, and I knew that, without a doubt, Jasper Whitlock wasn't the type to give up so easily.

* * *

I found my cell phone ringing on the coffee table when I walked in, and I tossed my credentials onto the dining room table before dropping onto the couch to see my mom's picture on the screen as I reached forward to answer it.

"Hey mom."

"Hi sweetheart," her light and cheerful voice came through the speaker and I smiled. "How are you? Was your first day at your new job everything you'd hoped it would be?"

"Well, I technically start tomorrow, but I got checked in and had a tour of the facility today. I think I'll really like it here."

"That's wonderful, Bella. What about the apartment they promised you? It's got everything you'll need during the week, right?"

"Everythings fine, mom, Its got everything I'll need and more." I sing-songed.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. But make sure you call me if you need anything and I'll send it to Kate for you to pick up. Honestly, I don't know what kind of business doesn't have an address."

I laughed, "They have a P.O. Box, but it would just be easier for you to send it to the condo." I didn't want to tell her that anything she sent to their P.O. Box would be searched by the lab's security office before I was allowed to touch it. She was paranoid enough when it came to our government and she would flip if she found out exactly what kind of situation I had gotten myself into with this new position.

She sighed, "If you say so, honey."

"So, how's everything in Breckenridge? How's Phil and Riley?" My father, Charlie Swan, had died in the line of duty when I was five, which was the main reason my mother, Renee, distrusted the government so much. Then, when I was around seven, she married Phil Biers, who had been my father's best friend when he was alive. He had full custody of his nine year-old son, Riley, who'd become like a real brother to me, and played a big part in helping me cope as I grew up.

"Riley is doing wonderfully. He just did a photo shoot for Cedar City National Park in Utah. I've seen the pictures and they really are beautiful. That boy's really got some talent." Riley was a photographer who was based in Breckenridge, but traveled all over the place to take professional photos. He'd gotten into photography when he was fifteen and became addicted to it ever since. He'd even turned his closet into a dark room when my mom and his dad gave him his first professional camera for his sixteenth birthday.

"And you know Phil. He's doing great. Though, I wish he would stop parking his cruiser in front of the house. Every time the plows come through, they block my car in and I have to shovel my way out just so I can leave the house!" She huffed. Phil was the police chief in our small town and it tended to snow a lot during the winter, and he figured that it was more convenient if he parked his cruiser in the street out front, driving my mother crazy.

I laughed, "Well, why don't you make him do the shoveling? Maybe then he would stop parking there?"

She sighed, "He always insists on doing it anyway, but he can never get to it until he gets off duty, and by then, I'll have been stuck in the house all day."

I pursed my lips thoughtfully. "Why not pay one of the neighborhood kids to do it? I'm sure one of them would love to make a couple bucks shoveling."

"You know what? That's a great idea. Why didn't I think of that?" She laughed to herself, "My common sense just isn't what it used to be, anymore."

I scoffed, "Oh, please, mom. You're as sharp as a tack and you know it."

* * *

My mom and I talked for another fifteen minutes as I continued to unpack the rest of my belongings, and by the time we hung up, I was nearly finished, deciding that I would get changed and ready for bed.

I crawled beneath the covers and pulled my silver laptop onto my lap, turning on the screen and waited for it to quickly boot up. As the screen lit up, I immediately noticed I had an email from Kate and clicked it open to see what she'd sent.

 **Date: November 24, 2014  
** **To: Isabella Swan  
** **From: Kate Denali**

 **Subject: Hunky Interviews**

 _Bella,_

 _Despite how opposed you are to using the internet to research this guy who you obviously like - there's no use in denying it - I felt like this was a must! Check this out and get back to me. I'm going to want all the det's on you and your relationship with Mr. Hunky. Don't be selfish!_

 _Love yas!_  
 _Kate_

Attached to her email was two links; one for the interview he did for Entrepreneur and the other for Forbes Magazine.

I moved the cursor to the first link, my finger hovering over the button, hesitant on whether or not I really wanted to do this. I was trying to get the guy out of my system, not cyber stalk him!

But before I could make my decision, a message popped up onto my screen, somewhat startling me out of my deliberation.

 **JWhitlock** _wants to open up a chat with you. Do you accept?_

My eyebrows shot up as I saw this. How did he get my screen name? Did I even want to talk to him?

I thought about it for a couple of seconds, deciding that it probably wasn't wise to refuse a message with the owner of the company I worked for, regardless of his reasoning, and clicked 'approve', his message instantly popping up in it's wake.

 **JWhitlock** : Done unpacking already?

I rolled my eyes and began to type out my reply.

 **BMSwan** : Not that it's any of your business, but I didn't bring a lot of things with me.

His reply came back through immediately, surprising me at his efficiency. Didn't he have anything better to do than talk to one of his lab techs at eight PM?

 **JWhitlock** : A woman who packs light? How refreshing. And just so you know, everything that comes into my facility is my business. Including you, Ms. Swan.

I guffawed at his presumptuousness and typed out my response.

 **BMSwan** : I'm sure you're used to controlling anything and everything around you, but I hate to break it to you. That won't be flying with me, whether you're my boss or not.

 **JWhitlock** : Actually I'm your boss's, boss's, boss, but I'll let it slide.

 **BMSwan** : Isn't there a rule about inter-office relationships?

 **JWhitlock** : Never been a fan of that rule, so I don't enforce it - good news for us.

 **BMSwan** : How did you even get this address, anyway?

 **JWhitlock** : I have my ways, as I'm sure you can imagine.

What was with this guy? - Always so cryptic!

 **BMSwan** : What do you want, Whitlock? No more games.

 **JWhitlock** : I don't need to play games, Ms. Swan. You know exactly what I want. So why pretend otherwise?

I gritted my teeth as I forcefully typed my reply.

 **BMSwan** : I've told you, I'm not interested in being some rich man's conquest. So how about you give it up already?

 **JWhitlock** : Now where would I be in life right now if I was they type of man who gave up on something he wanted so quickly?

 **BMSwan** : The same place that I'm about to be - in bed. Goodnight, Jasper.

I quickly logged off before he could respond with any more of that smart whit of his, and slipped my laptop on to my nightstand, reaching up to turn off the lamp.

My phone, which was plugged in next to it, suddenly vibrated with a 'ping' noise, signaling that I had a text message.

 _No! It couldn't be, could it?_

I picked up the hand-held device and unlocked the screen before opening the new message that was received from an unknown number.

 ** _Sleep well, Isabella._**

 ** _\- JW_**

* * *

 **A/N: Second chapter up and posted! How did you like Jasper and Bella's interactions? Any thoughts on Mike, Jared, Jessica or Ben? What about Tanya? Any idea's on what will happen next? Review and let me know what you think!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note!**

 **To see more, go to my FF and Wattpad pages under the penname:**

 **Xo Bella Italiana oX**

 **If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page! Also, I am still accepting Twilight stories that involve Jasper/any female leads or Bella/selected male leads if anyone is looking for a Beta Reader. I will accept OC characters as well depending on the other lead character. I will also except other genres depending on the characters and the plot.**

 **PM me for details!  
** **\- Bella'Xo**

 **Xo Bella Italiana oX**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer** **. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.**

 **Life's a Gamble**

 **A/N** **:This story is a completely original storyline and plot, only using Stephanie Meyer's Twilight characters that we all know and love. Everything else is completely mine. I really hope you guys enjoy it and give me your honest feedback.**

 **REMINDER** **: If anyone is interested in viewing PICTURES from each of the chapters (of a scene with the characters and their surroundings; including Jasper romance) check out the stories on my Wattpad page! The link is located on my profile!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! Enjoy! - Bella'Xo**

* * *

 **Previously...**

 **(Bella's POV)**

 _I quickly logged off before he could respond with any more of that smart whit of his, and slipped my laptop on to my nightstand, reaching up to turn off the lamp._

 _My phone, which was plugged in next to it, suddenly vibrated with a 'ping' noise, signaling that I had a text message._

 _No! It couldn't be, could it?_

 _I picked up the hand-held device and unlocked the screen before opening the new message that was received from an unknown number._

 **Sleep well, Isabella.**

 **\- JW**

* * *

 **Chapter 3:** **First Day  
** **(Bella's POV)**

Excitement bubbled up inside of me as I stood in the locker room outside of the lab, preparing for my first day of real work. The locker room was co-ed and equipped with the basics one would see in any locker room, except this one was far more high tech. Each locker was large in size, allowing you to step inside to get changed, but you needed your credentials to open it. A group of glass showers were located off to the side and would frost up as soon as the water was turned on for additional privacy. It was required for anyone working in the labs to shower after work before entering the rest of the compound.

The glass sealing my locker slid open, revealing a white lab coat, a government approved pale-blue uniform and a pair of white non-slip shoes that completely covered my feet.

As soon as I stepped inside, the glass slid shut, and I hit the button on the side to frost over the glass so that I could get changed. When I was done, I stepped out to see Jessica and Jared near the end of the row of lockers, talking.

"Hey guys," I smiled as I pulled my hair back away from my face into a messy bun on top of my head.

"Hey Bella. Are you excited for your first day?" Jared asked as he leaned casually up against the glass of a the corner locker.

I nodded, "Yeah, I am definitely excited to be getting started."

"You'll really like it here," Jessica remarked as she finished twisting a french braid in her hair. "The overall atmosphere takes a little getting used to, but the work itself is really interesting."

"That's what I've been hearing," I responded.

"Hey Bella," Mike smiled as he rounded the corner, "Carmen wanted me to have Jared give you a quick run down of the lab - show you our protocols, and where everything is kept."

A wide grin morphed on to Jared's face as he heard this. "Stick with me and I'll have you working this lab like you own the place." He winked.

I crossed my arms and leveled him with a sceptical glare. "I bet you say that to all the new hires, don't you."

Jessica scoffed, "Yeah, like we really get a lot of those. You'll be the first since Zafrina arrived about a year and a half ago. They're really picky who they hire, and those who are don't tend to quit - unless they're fired, of course."

"True," Mike agreed, "But even that's a rarity. I think the only person I've ever seen get canned was a guy from Ben's division, and that was before either of these two started here."

"Why? What did he do?" I wondered, curious at what would make them fire someone that they went through the expense and difficulties of hiring.

Mike shrugged, "I think he was hacking the network or something. I was new, so I didn't have that high of a level of clearance to find out the whole story at the time."

"Ouch," I winced, "I can't imagine they went easy on him for something like that."

"Definitely not," He confirmed. "They had him escorted out of here by armed security and everything. I'm pretty sure they pressed charges, too."

"No shit," Jessica agreed.

"Well, in any case, we should probably get to work. Carmen doesn't take too kindly to those who are late," Mike reminded everyone as he looked down at his watch.

"Hell yeah," Jared encouraged, "I'm not getting my ass chewed out again because you three ladies like to gossip."

"Screw you," Mike laughed as he purposely bumped into him, causing him to stagger off to the side a couple of steps.

Jared just brushed it off and wrapped an arm around my shoulders as he guided me out of the locker room, but not before calling over his shoulder, "You wish!"

* * *

Jared's tour of the lab was just as entertaining as it was fascinating. Everything was so much...well more...than anything I'd used at the University or anywhere else. It truly made me wonder why on earth they agreed to hire me instead of someone who had more experience in the field. I mean, I'd only had one job after college when we moved to Las Vegas, and that was for a pharmaceutical company. Even then, they had nothing this fancy. Lucky for me, though, everything was very user-friendly - as long as you knew what you were doing, of course.

We were nearly finished exploring the lab when Carmen approached us. "Have Ms. Swan shadow you for the rest of the day," was all she said without looking up from her tablet as she passed us by.

"Is she always so…" I trailed off, unsure of how to phrase it. However, it seems that I didn't have to as Jared seemed to understand what I was trying to say.

"Yeah, she is - for the most part. Her entire life is this place. If you even try to ask her about her personal life, she just clams up and starts going on about something happening in the lab. It's like she doesn't have a life outside of this place." He deduced.

I pondered that last statement for a moment. "Have you ever thought that maybe she really doesn't? I mean, does that sound like something so farfetched for someone like her?"

He looked thoughtful, his usual smile fading slightly from his face. "You wanna know something? It doesn't. I just never gave it this much thought before." He stood at the podium and adjusted a slide on his microscope before standing back to look at me with a serious expression. "This place... this type of work...it tends to seclude people from the world outside, and for people like Carmen, where work is everything...It really makes sense that that would be the case."

"That's sad," I swallowed as sympathy and concern for the woman churned in my stomach.

"It is," he agreed, "But that's reality."

"She doesn't have any friends or family outside of this place?"

"Like I said, I honestly wouldn't know." He leaned back over to examine the slide before gesturing for me to have a look.

* * *

Luckily, the rest of the day wasn't filled with such quite so much melancholy as Jared and I worked together. The projects they were working on were so much more than anything I'd have possibly dared to dream up before. More...that's the only word I could come up with to describe this amazing place. They were even working with elements I'd never even heard of before and I was completely blown away by it all.

I finished dressing in the locker room after taking the mandatory shower - I now comprehended the reasoning behind a lot better - and headed for the exit.

"Ms. Swan?" Carmen caught my attention, causing me to turn and see her still dressed in her lab uniform. "Director Howe wants to see you in his office before you finish up for the night."

"Oh...alright, thanks," I smiled at her, trying to be amicable and show her a sign of friendship. However, her expression remained neutral as she eyed me a second longer, then turned to head back into the lab.

Sighing, I exited the locker room and followed the route Sue had taken on me during the tour and headed to the elevators and used my credentials to take me up to the next floor, which opened to the office's underground lobby where all the company's most important office personnel worked throughout the day.

I immediately saw a new face belonging to a blonde possibly in her early twenties with wild, curly hair sitting at the desk in the middle of the expansive area.

She beamed when she saw me and stood to greet me. "Hi, I'm Irina. You must be Isabella."

"Call me Bella," I leaned over her desk to shake her hand. "I'm here to see Director Howe."

"I know," she replied simply, "His secretary called me and told me to expect you. I'm to point you in the right direction."

"Oh, uh, okay then," I smiled to myself, her bubbly personality contagious.

"So, what you're going to do is take the stairs on your right up to the next landing and follow it down the hall and around the corner. It should open up into the Director's waiting area where his secretary, Angela, will be at her desk."

"Alright, thanks, Irina," I waved as I headed in the direction she'd sent me in and up the marble staircase to the first landing and down the hall.

When it opened up, I saw a Japanese woman who looked a couple of years older than me sitting at the desk near a small waiting area. She looked up and smiled when she saw me, rising politely to her feet. "Good evening. You must be Ms. Swan." She spoke with perfect english.

"Yes, that's me," I gave her a small smile. "Director Howe wanted to see me?"

She nodded, "Yes, he gave me instructions to send you right in when you arrived."

"Great!" I watched as she made her way around her desk and gestured for me to follow her down a wide cream-colored hallway, stopping at a pair of double frosted glass doors to my right. She knocked twice before opening one and stepped inside the doorway.

"Excuse me, Director Howe, but Ms. Swan is here to see you."

I could see him from where I stood just outside,and watched as he grinned at her announcement, immediately standing to make his way around his large glass desk, buttoning the button on his suit jacket. "Bring her in."

Angela stepped sideways to allow me to enter the room and gave me an encouraging smile before backing out into the hall and quietly closing the door.

I looked around to see that the office was a decent size with several bookcases that were filled with different titles of hard-covered books and what appeared to be some sort of century-old artifacts. The wall behind his desk was completely made of glass and looked down into a portion of the lab that I had been working in only forty-five minutes prior.

"Isabella," he smiled, gesturing towards a small sitting area that housed a small beige couch and matching chair separated by a small round wooden table. "Why don't you take a seat."

I smiled and nodded, making my way over to the couch while idly wondering what this was all about. I didn't think that I did anything that would land me in any kind of trouble, so I was clueless.

"Would you like a drink?" He asked as he stopped in front of a small mini bar and picked up a glass decanter that was filled with amber liquor.

"Yes, please," I agreed, instantly relaxing. In my mind, I concluded that if I'd done something wrong to warrant this visit, then he wouldn't be offering me a drink.

"It's whiskey, I hope that's okay?" He asked over his shoulder.

"Whiskey's fine, thank you," I smiled to myself as I thought of my dad. Whiskey was always his favorite drink, as well. I could remember smelling it on him on occasion mixed in with his cologne when I would kiss him goodnight.

He came back over and handed me the drink, then watched as he sat down in the chair facing me, an easygoing expression on his youthful face.

"I'll cut right to the chase, since I don't want you to worry," He began, "But I just brought you up here to see how your first day went."

I felt my tensed muscles relax at his admission, even though I had suspected that it would be something along these lines now that I knew I wasn't in trouble, and began to answer his inquiry with a confident ease. "It went well. This whole place is so amazing. Everything about it blows me away, from the people to the projects... I'd say It was definitely a great first day for me. I think I'll really like it here, sir."

He chuckled, "Please, call me Liam. No need to be so formal with it just being the two of us."

I grinned, feeling that familiar sense of comfort that this man seemed to bring out in me. "Okay, Liam." There was just something about him - almost as if I knew him before I'd really known him. I couldn't, for the life of me, put my finger on it, but it was there, as plain as day.

"I'm really happy to hear that you're enjoying yourself, here, so far. I believe that the love for the job it's just as important as the work itself. Without happiness and passion for what you're doing, the results and knowledge you gather from the experience mean little."

I nodded, completely agreeing, and my smile widened. "I couldn't have said it better myself."

He tilted his head, studying me for only a second. "Do you have any questions, Isabella? It can be about the facility, itself, or even about me and my role here. Consider me an open book." He took a sip from his whiskey before placing it onto the wooden table, then folded his hands in his lap and crossed his ankle over his knee, leaning back in his chair.

I didn't have to think about that very long as inquiries began popping into my mind. "How long have you worked here?" I wondered.

He pursed his lips, tilting his head from side to side, thoughtfully. "About sixteen years now, give or take. I got my degree in my late twenties and was offered a position here directly out of college." He explained. "If I'm to be honest, you remind me a lot of myself at your age when I started getting interested in chemistry and physics."

"Is that why you hired me?" I couldn't help but to ask as my lips turned down into a small frown. I'm not sure how I would take learning that I didn't earn this new position, here, with my brain and passion for the sciences. Though, it didn't make sense, considering the fact that they found me and not the other way around.

His expression didn't change, but he didn't answer right away either, which sent me on edge. "Ms. Swan, you're clearly a very bright young woman. I can hear it in the way you speak, see it in the way you carry yourself," he gestured at me with one hand, "You most certainly are qualified for the position, if that's what you're asking. But I will admit that you pulled my interest for the kind of person you are, as well as your astute intelligence."

"I don't understand?" My eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

He took in a deep breath before leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "Ms. Swan, you agreed with my earlier statement about having a passion for what you do." I nodded, encouraging him to continue. "In a facility like this one, I'm sure you can agree that not everyone would find this to be a suitable lifestyle for themselves. It's difficult not being able to discuss what you do for a living with the outside world, especially those close to you. Not to mention, having to work in an underground compound in the middle of the desert, which makes it nearly impossible to commute on a daily basis, even though it is not forbidden."

"So, you're saying that I'm perfect for the position because I don't have much of a life?" I couldn't help but smirk, garnering a chuckle from my new employer.

"I wouldn't put it quite so bluntly, but in a way, yes," he continued to explain. "You had only lived in the Las Vegas area for a short time and had no immediate family in the area, which is a positive element to have for this type of position, in this company in particular. But more than any of that, I could see that when I interviewed you a few weeks back, you have an obvious affection for your field of study. It was exciting to you. And you are very good at what you do; your grades at California State were at the top of your class. You have a spotless record and clean bill of health. Every qualification we required in our employees, you possessed, as well as others."

I bobbed my head slowly. "I understand." I had to admit, that it was good to get this cleared up. It had been bothering me ever since I'd been contacted with the news that I had gotten the job, wondering what they possibly could have seen in me when I had virtually no experience to contribute to such a well funded, state of the art facility that required such discrepancy.

"Good," he nodded, appeased. "Now, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"

My lip tugged up in a slight grin as I took a small sip of my whiskey. "Haven't you learned everything about me, even down to my shoe size, from that extensive background check you guys had done on me during the interviewing process?"

He shrugged, "More or less. Though, it's not the same thing as hearing about it straight from the source, my dear."

"What do you want to know?" I wondered offhandedly.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You grew up in Breckenridge, Colorado?"

"I did," I confirmed.

"And your family still lives there?" He continued.

"My mom and grandparents do, yes, as well as my stepdad, brother and his family."

"What about your father?"

I cleared my throat and shifted uncomfortably in my seat, the topic of my dad always tending to bring the heartache and grief I felt about his departure to the forefront. "He died when I was five."

I could see the sympathy, as well as something else, in his eyes. "I'm sorry to hear about that. May I ask how?"

I shrugged. "It's kind of a long story," I answered uneasily.

"I've got time," he smiled, though it definitely didn't reach his eyes. However, I could sense his intrigue and desire to know. I don't know why or how, but I felt as though this was as important to him as it was to me. It was a ridiculous assumption, I know, since he didn't really know me or my parents, but I couldn't help the way I felt or the way I thought.

I took in a deep breath, mentally and emotionally preparing myself as I reopened old wounds. "My parents had me when they were both young - they were just starting their junior year of college. My mom said that they couldn't bear to abort me, and as time went on and the pregnancy progressed, they both fell so much in love with me that adoption just became out of the question. But neither of them came from money, so they couldn't afford to take care of me and still attend school. Instead, they dropped out and my mom got a job as a waitress in a local diner in town while my dad enlisted in the marines. The benefits and extra money was exactly what we all needed.

"When I was two, they were finally in a better position and my mom was able to cut back on some hours at the diner so that she could begin to take classes online and finish her degree." I recalled the story that my mother had always told me so frequently. Growing up, especially, I had always wanted to hear about my dad. I guess the stories were my way of keeping him alive. "Everything had seemed to be working out for them."

I took in another deep breath, getting to the more difficult part of the story. "I was five when my dad's time in the marines was getting ready to be up. He'd planned on coming home for good and getting a job with his best friend as a police officer in town. He only had three months left and was going on one final trip overseas before he finished." I paused, unable to look at his face as I fidgeted with the hem of my sweater. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you what happened."

He didn't answer and I looked up to see he had an almost haunted look on his face. His gaze was focus as though he were looking through me, lost in his own thoughts as he listened to me speak.

Finally, he seemed to realize that I'd stopped talking and was staring at him. He straightened in his seat, his face once again a blank canvas. "You said your mother had remarried?"

"Yes," I confirmed. "to my dad's best friend, Phil. He had full custody of his son, who was two years older than me, and they got married a couple of years after my dad died. He'd started checking up on us, knowing that my dad would've wanted us taken care of. They were really close, he and my dad. And, after about a year and a half of spending time together, they started to date and married six months later."

"And this Phil, he was a good father to you?"

I bit my lip, a small smile managing to pull at my lips at the thought of my step family. "No one can ever take the place of my dad. He was the best. My mom and I couldn't have asked for anyone better as a husband and father. But Phil was a great addition to our lives, and was able to fill in as best he could. He was never out to take my dad's place and made that very clear to me when he and my mom got serious. He'd said that he'd be there as whatever I needed - a friend, a confidant, a shoulder to cry on..." I trailed off. "And he always made sure that I knew as much about my dad as possible, telling stories about their friendship growing up and when they got together while he was on leave from the military. Through Phil, I felt like I got to keep a small piece of my dad. You know?"

"I think I understand," he murmured, then swiftly changed the subject. "What about your step brother? Do you two get along?" I wasn't sure why he was so interested in my life growing up, but I had to admit that it was nice to talk to someone about this stuff. My mom has always had trouble with it and it upsets her. Phil was the one who gave me most of the knowledge I had, aside from the story that my mom told me about my birth and his death. The rest was what I'd remembered from when I was little, before he died.

"Riley is my brother in every sense, but blood," I answered, my smile growing larger with the fondness and love I felt for him. "He'd immediately taken me under his wing, even before our parents even got together. It never mattered that he was two years older or a boy at that age where all girls had cooties or something. We've just been that close from day one, and he was there for me to lean on through everything. Especially high school," I added sheepishly. "I was a bit of a nerd while he was Mr. Popular. But still, all of his friends always treated me like I was somebody important to know because of him. One of his girlfriends even helped me get ready for the school dances while his best friend took me as his date, not wanting me to be left out." I smiled at the memory. "My best friend, Kate, was the only true friend I had back then who I had made on my own and was in my grade."

My gaze had been wandering as I spoke, but when I finally looked back over at Liam, he was fully focused on me as he took in everything that I said. Realizing this, I couldn't help it as I blushed in mortification. Why exactly did I tell him all of this, again?

"I'm sorry, I must be boring you with all of this."

He shook his head, "No, not at all. I'm actually enjoying myself while getting to know you."

"Do you do this sort of thing with all your employees?"

He tilted his head slightly. "What? Get to know them?" I nodded. "Sometimes, though not usually so personally."

"I think that's my fault," I admitted bashfully. "You're a very easy person to talk to, and I feel this... odd sense of comfort around you. It almost feels like we've met before."

"I'm happy to hear that," he smiled, leaning over to pick up his glass of whiskey and took a sip. "I'd like it if we became good friends."

I brightened at the thought. "I think I'd like that very much, too, sir." I smiled widely and he sucked in a breath, his whole body going rigid. I immediately became concerned, my smile fading as I shifted towards him. "Is something wrong?"

He swallowed thickly as he shook his head, a small grin forming, tugging at his mouth. "It's nothing. You just remind me of someone, your smile just then."

I leaned forward a bit, intrigued. "May I ask who?"

This time, a far away, wistful quality overtook his eyes, though it happened so quickly that if I weren't looking, I would have missed it completely. "Another time." His voice became somewhat hoarse and he seemed to have to force his smile into place, but he wasn't fooling me. However, I knew when not to push, and this was most definitely one of those times.

"Forgive me if it seems as though I was speaking out of place and getting too personal. I honestly don't mean to pry. It's just that -"

"No," he shook his head, cutting me off, "There's no need to explain. I completely understand. After all, I've been inquiring about some pretty personal information on your part for the past half hour."

"It's fine, really," I waved him off. "So, what about you? Have you ever been married? Kids?"

He nodded, "I was married once, when I was younger. But it unfortunately wasn't meant to be." He sighed.

"And you're not involved with anyone now?" I asked, thinking of Sue and her very obvious affection for him. I could most definitely see them together. They would make a really great couple.

He smirked, "No. I'm sure you can grasp how difficult it is to get seriously involved with someone on the outside while working here."

"Have you ever thought of quitting?" I wanted to know. He was admittedly a catch and it was hard to imagine such a kind man like him being alone for the rest of his life.

He laughed, shaking his head, "I'm practically married to this place. I love my job and formed a close relationship with many of my co workers. They've become somewhat of an extended family to me. The way I see it is if the right person comes along, everything will just fall into place. I'm a very firm believer in fate."

My eyebrows briefly shot up at his last statement. "A man of science believing in fate?" I smirked, sipping on my glass of whiskey.

His smile widened, "Guilty as charged."

"Then, in that case, I'm sure you'll find her some day," I encouraged him.

"Thank you," he nodded as the phone on his desk began to buzz.

"Director Howe?" Angela's voice echoed through the intercom.

"Excuse me, one moment," he stood and made his way over to his desk where he pressed a button on the cradle, holding it down as he spoke. "Yes, Angela?"

"You have a call on line two," she informed him.

He looked up at me apologetically. "Tell them I'll be right with them in just a minute."

"Yes, sir," Tori spoke before she went offline.

"It's okay," I smiled as I rose to my feet, placing my nearly empty glass of whiskey down onto the small wooden table. "I'd better get going any way. I'm sure I've taken up enough of your time as it is."

He shook his head. "Getting to know you wasn't even a second of time wasted. You're a wonderful young girl, Isabella, and I'm happy to have you on board."

I smiled as his kind words, a feeling of familial affection blooming inside of me towards this man. "I'm happy to be here, as well. Thank you for caring enough to check on me. I know you're a very busy man."

"If you ever need anything, just come and talk to me. I'm sure I can help you with whatever it is." He reassured me.

"Thank you, sir," I was humbled by his kindness. "And, please, call me Bella."

He smiled and nodded, "Alright, Bella." He walked me to the door. "Have a nice evening."

"You too, Liam," I bid him farewell and made my way out of his office, closing the door behind me.

I began to think over the past half hour as I headed down the staircase and into the lobby, waving at Irina as I passed by towards the bank of elevators and called for a car.

Despite having brought up my father's passing, I'd enjoyed the conversation I had with Director Howe - Liam - and knew that he would become a valued friend and mentor. It made my decision to start working here that much more gratifying. However, I still couldn't shake the feeling that I'd met him somewhere before, and until I'd figured out where, it would continue to bother me.

I'd been so wrapped up in my thoughts as I waited for the car, which was taking much longer than usual, that I hadn't noticed someone else approaching until a familiar voice leaned in to murmur in my ear.

"Good evening, Ms. Swan," Jasper's unexpected masculine voice sent a wave of arousal shooting down my spine, causing me to shiver. It was then that the mystery of the delayed elevator car suddenly made sense.

"You stopped the elevator on me, didn't you?" I glared, turning my head so that we were now practically nose to nose.

His cocky smirk made its usual appearance. "I had to make sure that you didn't leave before I got the chance to speak with you."

I sighed, both physically and emotionally worn out for the day, and not in the mood to deal with his persistence. It wasn't like I didn't already have enough things on my mind. "What do you want from me, Jasper? And don't tell me that I already know, because you know that's not what I'm asking you."

Amusement flashed in his eyes, but otherwise his expression didn't change. "Aren't you the perceptive one."

"So I've been told."

He stepped around me just as the car finally showed up, relief blossoming at the chance to escape yet another confrontation with this dark and dangerous Adonis. However, that relief was immediately squashed when he stepped back and gestured for me to get in, only for him to follow me inside the car, the doors closing behind us before I could even think about escaping.

"Why are you following me?" I asked in exasperation. Surely he had better things to do?

I stepped in front of the monitor near the corner, but before I could slide my credentials through the slot, Jasper stepped in front of me, backing me into the wall of the car with one hand on each side of me, effectively boxing me in.

"I need to talk to you, Isabella." His voice was hard and domineering, sending another shiver of excitement through my system. However, I was not so lucky that he didn't notice this time, and a slow smirk pulled at his lips. "See? I knew you're attracted to me."

"I never said I wasn't." I kept my gaze locked on his, not allowing myself to show any signs of weakness to this man. Knowing what I did about him thus far, I knew that he'd only use it to his advantage, and then I'd have no ammunition to fight back with. I couldn't let him know how much he truly affected me. I'd become putty in his hands, providing him with the opportunity to break me.

"Then why are you pushing me away like this?" He demanded to know, his eyes hard as his smirk vanished.

"I believe I've made myself quite clear regarding that question," I reminded him of the last time we'd spoken like this. "I refuse to be any rich man's plaything."

His jaw clenched and he took in a deep breath through his nose, letting it out between his words, "I never said you would be a plaything."

"Oh? Then please, do elaborate?" I quirked a brow, crossing my arms over my chest in an attempt to put some space between us.

His eyes began to search mine, his rigid body relaxing some as a softness seemed to take over him. "Why can't we just be two consenting adults who enjoy each other's sexual companionship?" He asked as he reached up with one hand to stroke my cheek with the backs of his fingers.

I felt my own muscles loosen up, my body adjusting to his ever-changing moods, though it didn't escape my notice that he had dodged my question. "There are a number of reasons for why that won't for me." I turned my head away from the touch that was ever so rapidly weakening my resolve.

I watched those fingers curl into a fist as it dropped back into its previous position against the wall of the elevator. His eyes seemed to flash with frustration as he spoke through gritted teeth, "Explain it to me then! I can guarantee you that I can rebuff each and every one of them."

"Why is this so important to you?" I wondered. "I'm sure a man like you has his pick of women, so why continue to pursue me when I can't give you the type of relationship you really want?"

"Can't or won't?" He challenged.

"Both," I narrowed my eyes, "Now answer the question."

His gaze left mine momentarily as resignation swept over him before he looked back up at me. "You're different." His answer was so simple, and yet so convoluted. "And I just can't get you out of my mind. This has never happened to me before, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do with it."

My stomach flipped at his words and a reluctant thrill traveled down my spine as I was rendered speechless. My mind began to race as I thought out what I could possibly say to something like that. But, before I had the chance, the elevator doors slid open, revealing a familiar tight leggy blonde.

My cheeks began to heat and I straightened my stance as I watched a mixture of emotions pass over the girl's face, bouncing between surprise, desolation and anger. Jasper's head dropped as he took a step back and released me from his self-constructed cage, turning to see his secretary's flabbergasted form.

"Yes, Tanya?" He asked, exasperation pouring from his deflated stance.

"I, um...Irina said that you went, uh..." She stuttered.

"Tanya," his voice took on a hard edge, causing her to straighten and stop fumbling with the tablet she was holding. "What did you need?" He asked in a softer tone.

She took in a deep breath and stepped into the elevator as she gestured at something I couldn't see on her screen, keeping the doors open.

Jasper peered at it from over her shoulder and sighed. "I'll be right there. Give me five minutes," he instructed.

Her eyes flickered over to me before returning to her boss's face. "Yes, sir." She hesitantly stepped out of the car, allowing the doors to close behind her.

Once they were both sealed shut, I turned my attention back to Jasper, shifting my weight from foot to foot, unsure of what to say. It was then that I noticed one of the three cameras that had been recording this whole indiscretion, and gasped, my face pailing.

Jasper noticed the horror filling my expression and tensed, following my gaze to the camera over his shoulder, but then relaxed. "I had them shut off before I came down."

Distinguishable relief flooded my system and my body slumped back into the wall. "Thank God."

Beguilement pulled at his lips and he tilted his head inquisitively. "Is it really so bad to be caught alone with me?"

I rolled my eyes, "That's not what I mean, and you know it."

"Do I?"

I scoffed, "Yes, you do."

He hummed, "I suppose you're right." Jasper took a step closer to me, leaning against the wall beside me with one arm, the other he placed on my waist. "I regret that we won't be able to finish this conversation right here and now, but don't think this is over."

I sighed, "It never is."

"And won't be until we find a way to work this out between us." He leaned in and ghosted his lips up the side of my neck. Sucking in a breath, I knew he could feel my pulse point as it picked up speed. "We'll talk again soon," he whispered before pressing an open-mouth kiss against the skin just behind my ear, sending an intense wave of arousal down through to my sex, and I gasped.

Finally, he stepped back, his cocky smirk once again plastered on those warm, sensual lips as he hit the button for the doors to open. He took another step back through them once they had, and remained standing there, focused on my electrified form as the doors began to close, giving me a final nod just before he was completely out of sight.

A large gust of air flew out from my lungs, a breath I didn't realize I had been holding onto, as my whole body relaxed from my rigorous posture.

 _Sweet Jesus, what that man can do to me..._

I took in several deep breaths as I made turned to the touch screen panel and slid my credentials with shaking hands. My heart was still hammering in my chest, and I had no doubt that, if I checked, my cheeks would also be flushed with a crimson blush. Jasper was weakening my resolve and we both knew it. But that only meant I had to fight back harder. As much as I wanted him, there would always be a few stipulations that I just refused to budge on, because I couldn't risk him breaking me and destroying everything I'd been working so hard to build.

* * *

I entered the dining hall, prepared to get some much desired dinner in me. It had been a couple of hours since my last encounter with Jasper and the high had finally worn off, much to my relief.

I spotted Ben and Jared leaving the buffet with their trays in hand, and I made my way over to them with my own.

"Hey guys," I smiled as we all headed over to a vacant table.

"Evenin' dollface," Ben greeted me with his usual humorous disposition.

"I'm starving!" Jared was practically salivating over his tray of meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy as we pulled out our chairs and took a seat with him next to me.

"You're always hungry!" Mike scoffed as he appeared from behind me and sat down on my other side.

He shrugged, "What can I say? My body is a machine - it needs energy!" He beat on his chest with a fist.

Looking up, Zafrina and Jessica were making their way over as I began to cut into a hot piece of lightly breaded chicken breast.

"So, how was the first day?" Zafrina asked as they both sat down across from us.

I smiled ecstatically, "It was great!"

"Of course it was," Jared interjected smugly, "You were with me!"

I laughed, "Yes, Mr. Modest, you are a great trainer." I'd give him that.

"Like you even need one, though," He playfully bumped me with his arm. "You seemed to know more about what we were doing then I did, at times."

"Yeah, yeah," I brushed off his praise and took a sip from my iced tea.

"So, what did Director Howe want with you?" Jessica asked curiously, opening up her can of soda with a pop.

I tilted my head speculatively, pondering how she had heard about that.

She must've read the question in my eyes, as she elaborated, "Irina mentioned she had met you when you were heading up to see him."

"Oh." That made sense. "He just wanted to check in with me to see how my first day working in the lab went. Nothing special," I shrugged a shoulder.

"We also heard you were approached by Mr. Whitlock," Zafrina wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

My eyes widened despite my attempt at nonchalance, and I shifted uncomfortably as I recalled his promise farewell.

"Uh, yeah, I ran into him at the elevators - no big deal," I reluctantly admitted, trying to play it off as nothing.

"Uh huh," She smirked, rolling her eyes. "That's not what we heard."

I took in a deep breath. "What did you hear?"

"That he was up close and very personal," Mike gleamed depravedly.

I slumped in my seat and ran a hand through my long thick hair. "Seriously, how do you guys hear this stuff?"

"Well, like we said, we heard it from Irina," Zafrina repeated before taking a bite of her mashed potatoes. "Mike and Zafrina were with me on our way down here when we ran into her and got to talking."

I scrunched my eyebrows thoughtfully. "But she didn't even see anything."

Jared huffed as he tossed some food around on his plate. "Apparently she didn't have to."

"No, but Tanya did," she reminded me, shooting a glare at him, "They are sisters, after all."

"No way! I didn't know that." Though, now that I think about it, they do look an awful lot alike, aside from Irina's wildly curly hair and younger looking face as well as their height.

"Apparently, Tanya was upset about whatever she saw, so it had to be something juicy," Jessica grinned.

"Really, guys, she was just making a big deal out of nothing." I masked the lie with a sip of my iced tea.

"Well, whether or not that is the case, I'd be careful of him, dollface," Ben warned me. "The man's got quite the reputation."

"He's right," Mike agreed. "As much as I love Quil, even I get sucked in by his alluring semblance, and it doesn't help that he is stunningly handsome."

"Wait, you and Quil are back together again?" Jessica diverted the conversation in another direction, much to my relief.

He smiled, "Yeah, we're together."

"And how long will this time last?" Zafrina rested her head in her hand that was propped up by her elbow on the table.

"Shut up!" Mike laughed, throwing a balled up napkin at her head.

She swatted it away as she giggled. "No, seriously! You two are the definition of 'on again off again'."

"I wonder why he didn't tell me?" Jessica pondered.

"Oh, the horrors!" Ben slapped a hand to his face with a mock-gasp.

She laughed, but disregarded his comment. "Well, I am the one who introduced those two."

He gave her a playful, exaggerated nod. "And I thank you for that,"

"If you don't mind me asking, why so many break ups?" I wondered.

"I'm bi," Mike answered simply, as if it explained everything.

I tilted my head, still staring at him inquisitively. "I sort of gathered that you were either gay or bisexual when we met and you told me about how you were on and off again with another man."

He gave me a look that clearly said 'no shit, Sherlock,' and went on to explain. "Quil is one hundred percent gay. So, in a nutshell, it's obvious to say that it's caused some problems for us, among other things."

I slowly nodded, "I guess I can see that."

"I know exactly what that's like," Jessica spoke up as she stabbed at a piece of meatloaf. "I wouldn't say that I'm a bisexual, I'm just open to sleeping with women as well as men - this is the twenty-first century after all. But I've had similar issues with the women I date who are trying to force a commitment from me."

Jared snorted at that. "Since when do you date?"

She had a slightly amused, yet offended expression as she looked up at him. "What? I do so date! It's when they want to get serious that I put up the walls."

"Why would you do that?" I inquired.

"Jessica's not the type to do serious relationships," Ben answered before she could, giving her a playful nudge as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Really?" I asked, surprised. There weren't many girls I knew that weren't out there looking for that perfect someone. Sure, I wasn't exactly looking either, but if I happened to find someone who was genuinely worth the risk, I might just take the plunge.

She sighed, continuing to play with her fork, twisting it against her plate. "I've never really been the type to get serious. It's just that it puts too much pressure on things and usually causes things to go wrong. Not to mention, this job doesn't exactly make things easy." She began to smile, as if she was remembering something funny. "I once dated this girl who thought that I was really a high class call girl, and that was the reason why I wouldn't introduce her to any of my work friends or invite her to any of the functions we hold in the city."

"Oh, was that the one who tried to follow you here?" Zafrina asked, using her own fork as she spoke for emphasis.

Jessica shook her head 'no.' "It was the one who had the crazy sister, who kept showing up at my apartment.

Mike shook his head in bewilderment. "You, my dear, have dated some crazies."

She let out a laugh, "Oh, you're one to talk! What about that chick from the strip who was using your phone to stalk you?"

"Who, Lacey?" He asked, and she nodded.

"And let's not forget the dude who thought you were shagging Jared on the side!" Ben added. "He showed up at the bar we were all at and we all know how that went down."

Jared shivered at the memory, "I couldn't get the smell off me for weeks!"

"Then there was that waitress from Tony's," Zafrina listed.

"Yeah, man," Jessica agreed. "We haven't been able to go there since!"

Mike held up his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, I get the point! We both dated some nutty people."

I smiled throughout the exchange, but, in all honesty, I was feeling sort of out of place. These people have all worked together and have been friends for a long time now, and I'd only just met them yesterday. Hopefully, with time, I would be included in their stories and memories, as well.

"Hey, I'm going to head up," I announced, pushing my plate away from me.

"Why? What's wrong?" Jared seemed genuinely concerned,having spotted the vacancy in my expression.

I shook my head, "Nothing. I just am tired from all the excitement from today, and have a Skype date with my roommates."

"Want me to walk you up?" He asked.

"No, I'll be fine on my own." I stood from my seat, picking up my tray. "Thanks, though. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Okay, night, hun!" Zafrina waved as everyone wished me goodnight.

* * *

I idly wandered down the hall towards my room after exiting the elevator car, feeling homesick for the first time since I'd arrived. It was like leaving for college all over again, except this time I didn't have Kate there experiencing it all with me.

"Calling it a night?" A voice from behind me made me jump as I rounded a corner, and I turned to see Jasper leaning casually against the wall.

I narrowed my eyes and placed a hand on my hip. "Were you following me?"

He shook his head and smirked as he pushed off the wall to take a step closer to me. "No, but I admit that I'd hoped to run into you."

"Oh, really?" I quirked a brow.

"Yeah,really," he chuckled, "I wanted to see if you wanted to get a drink with me?"

Surprise colored my features as I straightened and tugged at the sleeve of my sweater. "A drink? Really? I didn't think they served alcohol here."

"They don't," he answered cryptically before clarifying, "But I have a bar in my suite. Would you care to join me?"

I narrowed my eyes and studied him. A drink would be nice about now, especially with my present mood and homesickness. But I didn't want to give him the wrong idea by accepting.

"Just a drink, nothing else?"

"Sure," he smirked presumptuously. "Unless, of course, you want something more, at which point, I'd be happy to oblige."

"I'm sure you would be," I muttered in frivolity.

"Is that a 'yes' I'm hearing in between your smart ass retorts?"

I shrugged a shoulder, "I guess."

He let out a deep chuckle that sent chills throughout my body and gestured back towards the way I'd just come. "Then after you."

 **A/N : Cliffhanger! Hehe! So, in this chapter we got a small look into Bella's past/background. Any thoughts on the matter? Why do you think Liam was so curious about it? What about Carmen and her lack of a life outside of work? And, most importantly, what do you think will happen with Bella and Jasper in his suite? Review!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note!**

 **To see more, go to my FF and Wattpad pages under the penname:**

 **Xo Bella Italiana oX**

 **If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page! Also, I am still accepting Twilight stories that involve Jasper/any female leads or Bella/selected male leads if anyone is looking for a Beta Reader. I will accept OC characters as well depending on the other lead character. I will also except other genres depending on the characters and the plot.**

 **PM me for details!** **  
** _\- Bella'Xo_

 **Xo Bella Italiana oX**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**. **All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.**

 **Life's a Gamble**

 **A/N:** **This story is a completely** **original** **storyline and plot, only using Stephanie Meyer's Twilight characters that we all know and love. Everything else is completely mine. I really hope you guys enjoy it and give me your honest feedback.**

 **REMINDER** **: If anyone is interested in viewing** **PICTURES** **from each of the chapters (of a scene with the characters and their surroundings; including Jasper romance) check out the stories on my Wattpad page! The link is located on my profile!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! Enjoy! - Bella'Xo**

* * *

 _ **Previously...  
(Bella's POV)**_

 _Surprise colored my features as I straightened and tugged at the sleeve of my sweater. "A drink? Really? I didn't think they served alcohol here."_

 _"They don't," he answered cryptically before clarifying, "But I have a bar in my suite. Would you care to join me?"_

 _I narrowed my eyes and studied him. A drink would be nice about now, especially with my present mood and homesickness. But I didn't want to give him the wrong idea by accepting._

 _"Just a drink, nothing else?"_

 _"Sure," he smirked presumptuously. "Unless, of course, you want something more, at which point, I'd be happy to oblige."_

 _"I'm sure you would be," I muttered in frivolity._

 _"Is that a 'yes' I'm hearing in between your smart ass retorts?"_

 _I shrugged a shoulder, "I guess."_

 _He let out a deep chuckle that sent chills throughout my body and gestured back towards the way I'd just come. "Then after you."_

* * *

 **Chapter 4:** **One Night Only  
(Bella's POV)**

The elevator took us up a couple of floors and opened up to the office lobby where I had gotten off earlier to meet with Director Howe. However, instead of taking the marble staircase on our right, we took the one on the left, which led us down a similar hallway, except it opened up to four separate elevator cars.

"Is this where all you bigwigs live?" I asked jokingly.

Jasper smiled, looking back at me from over his shoulder as he made his way over to the panel in between two of the sets of doors. "You caught us." He pulled out his credentials and used them to summon the elevator on the far right. "Shall we?" He motioned towards the inside of the car, but I hesitated, remembering the other time I was in an elevator with this man. "Don't worry, I'll keep my hands to myself," He promised and made a gesture of showing his empty hands, holding them up in surrender.

Sighing, I stepped into the car with him following in behind me, the doors simultaneously closing behind him shutting us inside. He stopped in front of the touch screen panel, using his credentials to bring it to life, revealing his name and photo, as well as a numbered box where he entered a four digit password. The elevator immediately started rising upon pressing the 'enter' key, and we rode the rest of the way in a surprisingly comfortable silence, watching as the numbers indicating the different floors changed as we passed them.

When the doors opened again, I was surprised to find that it instantly gave way to an expansive living room area that was lit only by a fire that was brought to life by a stone gas-powered fireplace mounted on the wall, separating the living and dining room area that was visible on both sides.

"Wow," I murmured to myself, following him inside as he stepped away to turn on some of the lights, brightening the place up.

This gave me the opportunity to take in my surroundings, noticing that the room wasn't overly large like one you would see in the city. However, it mostly open with what looked to be thirty to forty-foot ceilings, the only wall being the one with the fireplace, but that wasn't much longer than the fireplace itself. It was masculine and sophisticated with an old world charm and beautiful works of art that hung on the walls, which were painted black with the occasional wood trimming.

A giant cream-colored sectional and matching arm chair were positioned around the fireplace, which had a large flat screen television that hung above it. I could also see a rounded black marble staircase which matched the living room floor and appeared to lead up to a loft, which - if I'm not mistaken - was where the bedroom must be located.

I moved further into the room, giving myself a better view of the dining area, which housed a small oval-shaped glass table and matching chairs. A wide, open archway led the way into a medium-sized kitchen, painted the same colors as the living and dining room areas. All of the appliances were made of stainless steel and glass, keeping up with the rest of the decor. However, the thing that drew my attention the most was the floor to ceiling glass wall, and I immediately began to make my way over to it, curious to see what it overlooked. Nonetheless, I was not prepared for what I saw.

"How?" It was all I managed to stutter 0ut as I gawked, completely awestruck at the voluminous desert landscape, lit up only by the moonlight.

"The army base backs right up to a desert mountain. A large part of the compound is hidden inside of it." He explained as he shrugged out of his suit-jacket, knowing exactly what I had been referring to without having to come and see for himself.

"Are there other suites like this in the compound?" I wondered, curious at who you would need to be in order to be gifted with such an extraordinary view on an everyday basis.

Jasper shrugged from several feet behind me. "Not exactly. I guess you could compare this to a penthouse in hotel standards. The other elevators will take you up to small hallways that house two suites per floor at lower levels within the mountain. They are all one story, unlike this one, as you can see, and only offer a small view to the outside in the living area."

"How many are there?"

"Suites? Aside from this one, Ten." He answered, rolling up the cuffs of his shirt to just below his elbows and stepped backwards before he turned around and made his way over to a dark oak cabinet, which he opened up to reveal a small bar. "If you don't drink hard liquor, I have a small wine fridge in the kitchen."

"I'll have two fingers of Bourbon." I dismissed his assumption that I was one of those women who can't quite hold their liquor and who only drank the fruity girly-type drinks.

Jasper looked up from pouring his own glass and smirked with a galvanized gleam in his eyes, "I'm impressed. I like a woman who can handle her liquor." He gestured at the sectional as he removed the glass lid off of the decanter of Bourbon. "Please, have a seat."

I nodded and made my way over the the sectional and sat down, enjoying the feel of the cream colored fabric beneath me. "Did you sister also decorate this place?"

"Actually, yes, she did," he answered as though he were impressed that I'd remembered he told me about his sister decorating the compound, and made his way around the front of the armchair to hand me my drink. It was then that I noticed that he had a tattoo on his right forearm of what appeared to be four either Chinese or Japanese symbols going down towards his wrist.

"Well, like I said, I think she's a very talented designer." His fingers touched mine as I reached to take the glass from his outstretched hand, the now familiar zing of electricity sending tingles up my arm.

"I'll have to let her know that you approve," he smiled as he released the glass and took a seat next to me on the sofa, turning so that he was almost completely facing me. "Jane always likes to hear that kind of stuff."

"What, complements?" He nodded. "Well, she definitely deserves them." I took a sip of my Bourbon, relishing the feel of the alcohol burning in my chest as heat filled in my stomach. "Does she do anything else, or does she just stick to interior design?"

"She paints and dabbles with photography, as well." He answered, turning slightly to gesture at a painting of what looked to be the Las Vegas desert in a blurred landscape.

My eyebrows shot up and I leaned in for a closer look. "It's beautiful," I answered honestly. "Does she sell her pieces to the public, or is it just a hobby - something to keep her busy?"

"Well, right now it's just a hobby, but she wants to start selling them professionally." Jasper replied. "As a matter of fact, she is having her first gallery showing next friday. I can put you on the guest list if you'd like to check them out?"

I smiled, looking away from his hypnotic stare, feeling myself getting drawn into him. I could not let that happen, can't risk being broken. "I think my roommate would definitely be into it, too. She loves the whole art scene."

"And what about you?" He pressed.

I shrugged, shifting my focus down into my glass as the light from the fire made the crystal sparkle. How could a girl like me not enjoy taking in a beautiful piece of art? But that would mean seeing Jasper, and I was having a hard enough time keeping things professional between us when my insides were literally screaming at me to reciprocate. In fact, the only part of me opposed to the idea was my head, constantly at battle with my heart. I wish that, for once, they would be on the same page. But, regardless of my feelings, I knew that Kate would absolutely love to go, and was it really fair for me to prevent that because of my own messed-up emotions? The answer was a no-brainer.

"Sure." I peeked up at him from beneath my lashes to find that he was still watching me, almost like he were trying to figure me out.

"I'll make sure to put your name on the list."

"Thank you." I was genuinely grateful, and knew that this would be a wonderful surprise for my friend.

I looked back over to the painting, taking in the precise brush strokes and her stunning use of color. You could almost feel what she was feeling with every stroke of her brush. Someone with this amount of talent had to have a lot of experience.

"Has Jane been into art long?"

"Since she was two." He smiled at a memory that was going through his mind. "I can't tell you how many times my parents would have to repaint the walls in our house. Finally, when she was old enough to understand, they dedicated a wall in her bedroom or her to draw on or paint over again as long as she didn't take advantage of any of the other walls around the house. I couldn't have been more relieved, at the time. Coming home from school to find butterflies, unicorns and flowers scribbled on the walls in my bedroom wasn't exactly a way to impress the guys."

I laughed at the imagery he created in my mind. "What about you, Jasper? Did you have an art wall or any specific hobbies that you liked to do as a little kid?"

His smiled faded. "What little kid doesn't?" For the first time since we started talking, he looked away from me and took a large swig of his drink. "So, you mentioned that you had a roommate?" he asked, redirecting the conversation.

It took me a second to realize he was asking me something, still feeling the whiplash from the change in his mood and conversation topic. "Uh, yeah. We have a condo in downtown Vegas. Me and my two best friends, Kate and Edward, rent it together."

"Did you all move here together?"

"Mmhm," I nodded, taking a sip from my glass.

"The three of you must be very close, then," he observed, his arm wrapping around the back of my section of the sofa.

I smiled as Kate and Edward's faces flashed in my mind, that same pang of homesickness returning from earlier. "Yes."

"How long have you known each other?"

"We all attended California State together. It's where Kate and I met Edward during our freshman year. She and I grew up together in Colorado and Edward is from Chicago. We met at a frat party that Kate dragged me to the first week and have all been practically inseparable ever since." I figured it was the alcohol, which was beginning to provide a delightful buzz, but I was beginning to feel more relaxed and resilient, as well as less resistant to answering the personal questions about myself that he had begun firing at me. "Kate and Edward might not always see eye to eye and argue a lot, but, when push comes to shove, they'll stand by each other.

"You don't have any siblings?"

I nodded my head, swallowing another sip of Bourbon. "I have an older brother - or, well, step brother, actually. His name is Riley." I responded, looking back up into his intense blue eyes that were once again focused on me as though I were explaining the reason for all of life's unsolvable mysteries. I couldn't figure out what was so interesting to him about me. I was nothing special, plain even. But the fact that he was genuinely trying to get to know _me_ rather than my genitalia was a step in the right direction. However, it only made resisting him that much harder.

"How about you?" I asked, wanting to focus some of the conversation onto learning about him. "Or is Jane your only sibling?"

He smiled. "I have two brothers, as well. Peter and Alec."

"It must've been nice having such a big family growing up." I pictured a small brown haired, blue eyed boy playing in the backyard with his brothers and sister, a small smile tugging at my lips as I compared it to Riley and I when we were children.

"Actually, Alec is only fifteen. My parents adopted him about seven years back. Before that, he was in the foster care system." He explained.

"Oh, wow," I looked down into my glass, watching the brown liquid swirl around in the bottom of the clear crystal before looking back up at him. "Is he the main reasoning behind why your company is hosting the charity fundraiser on Saturday? Or are you just trying to get a break on your taxes?" I joked teasingly

He let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "Alec played a part in first having the function put together." However, that was all he was willing to reveal, and I began to notice a pattern when it came to answering questions about his personal life - or, rather, his lack in response to those types of questions.

I didn't want to press him for more information than he was willing to share, but I still wondered about the things he wasn't saying; like what his real reasons were for hosting so many of Las Vegas's charity events? And why he wouldn't talk about anything regarding his personal life - even about him as a child? What was he trying so hard to hide?

"So, are you planning on going?" He asked, breaking me out of my internal musings.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, not sure what he was referring to, having been lost in my own mental line of questioning.

"The charity gala on Saturday. Are you going?"

"Oh, uh...I've been thinking about it," I admitted, not wanting him to know that I'd already made up my mind.

"You should go," he encouraged me. "Bring your roommates, if you'd like. Aside from being stuffed into those penguin suits, they're a lot of fun and you'll get to meet a lot of great people. Plus, it's for a great cause," he finished his scripted pitch with a smirk.

I laughed at his attempted humor. "Okay, you've definitely convinced me with at that line. I'll go."

"Good," Jasper grinned from behind his glass. "I'm glad to see I haven't lost my touch." His eyes stayed glued to mine and the way the flames from the fire reflected inside of them made them appear to be literally blazing as our smiles began to fade. Damn, he was so incredibly handsome. The need to reach out and touch him was growing stronger by the minute, on top of the already stifling sexual tension. Not to mention, the way he was looking at me made me feel beautiful and desirable, something no one had made me feel in such a long time...

No, this was way too much. He was beginning to make me want and feel things that I shouldn't let myself, especially in regards to him, and I shifted away uncomfortably, wrenching my eyes away from his, breaking our connection.

"I should probably get going." I decided as I cleared my throat, leaning forward to set my glass down on the coffee table. "I promised Edward I would video chat with him and Kate tonight."

He tipped his head back and finished the last of the Bourbon in his glass before leaning over to set his glass down next to mine, then turned back to me, giving me his full attention. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"Who, Edward?" He nodded, and I guffawed, shaking my head. "God, no, we're not dating. I'm not dating anyone!"

He tilted his head as if he were trying to determine if there was something that I was not saying, as if another angle would give him whatever answers he was looking for.

"What?" I pressed, the bile of irritation beginning to rise.

He shook his head, "It's nothing. I'm just trying to figure you out."

I quirked a brow, slightly taken aback and confused. "Figure me out?" I repeated slowly, trying to make sure I heard him right the first time, and he nodded. "Why would you want to do that?"

"It's not a matter of whether I want to or not. It's become a _need,_ a _necessity_." He shifted so that he was now completely facing me and I him. "You're not like anyone else I've met, Isabella."

"Me?"

"Yes, _you._ " He raked a hand through his thick head of hair and sighed. "You come out of nowhere and you aren't afraid to put me in my place or talk to me like I'm just any other person - something that no is brave enough to do. You don't hesitate to tell me 'no'. You're so incredibly smart and witty and beautiful with this no-nonsense attitude...And yet you have this innocence about you that drives me wild. It's like you aren't aware of how truly stunning and sexy you really are. I'm constantly distracted, which is something that I never am. It's like I can't seem to get you out of my head or something, and I need to understand _why_."

I sucked in a breath, my head still reeling from his admission. "Does there have to be a reason? Can't you just accept what is?"

He slowly shook his head from side to side, reaching up with his right hand to tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. "I don't even know anymore." He whispered, trailing his fingers down my jaw to gently stroke my cheek with his thumb, sending small currents of electricity through me from his touch. "You're so beautiful."

I swallowed thickly, unable to respond much less look away from his intense piercing gaze. My heart was pounding rhythmically in my chest and I found that he was slowly leaning in, as if testing my boundaries for the first time since we've met, rather than just taking what he wanted from me. Still, I couldn't muster up the will to turn away or discourage him as I probably should have, were I thinking clearly.

He stopped less than a hair's breadth away from me and I could smell the Bourbon on his breath, along with his hypnotic masculine scent that produced an indescribable craving within me.

"Good God, what are you doing to me?" He whispered before leaning in the rest of the way and pressing his mouth to mine. His lips were warm and soft, molding perfectly against my own. He stole each of my breaths as our mouths profoundly danced together to a song only that only the two of us could hear, causing my heart to pick up speed. But what had started out as sweet and chaste soon began to morph into something hot and domineering, just like the man, himself.

Jasper reached up to cup my jaw as his tongue swept out and brushed against my bottom lip, demanding entrance that I obediently relinquished to him. His taste began to fuel my fire and I reached up around his neck with both of my hands to run my fingers through the hair at the base of his neck, pulling him down towards me, needing more of him all around me, everywhere.

I could feel his hand as it trailed down from my cheek, ghosting over my neck and collarbone, outlining the side of my body until it moved around to my behind and down to the back of my thigh, hooking it under my left knee as he pulled my leg up and over his hip, allowing him the opportunity to settle sweetly between my thighs - a perfect fit. He shifted us as he eased me backwards onto my back, my head resting against the arm of the couch, all done without once breaking our kiss. He ground his growing erection against my heated sex in just the right spot so that the hem of my jeans made direct contact with my clit, causing the both of us to react with declarations of pleasure.

Jasper's lips began to trail moist kisses along my jawline and down to my neck, moving up towards my ear where he delicately took the lobe in between his teeth and ran his tongue lightly along the shell. I gasped at the sensation this caused and arched up against his taut body, enticing a deep groan from him. It vibrated in his chest and into my ear, sending the most amazing tingling sensations down the side of my neck before settling in my southern regions.

"Sweet Jesus, woman. You're driving me crazy," he rasped, placing an open mouthed kiss just behind my ear as he did earlier. The same electricity zinged down my spine, driving more moisture in my most sacred of places.

I could feel myself losing control of all rational thought as his fingers ghosted down my rib cage to the hem of my sweater, causing me to suck in a breath full of anticipation and want.

This was it. Do I dare let him continue? Do I _want_ him to? Oh, who was I fooling? I wanted him and I wanted him badly, wanted to feel his sweat-soaked skin move against mine as he panted in my ear. I wanted to hold him in my hand and take him to the greatest of heights as I met him at the precipice of pleasure. I wanted -

A shrill ringing interrupted my thoughts just before Jasper managed to breach my skin, and reality seemed to suddenly crash down all around me at once.

 _What was I doing? Was I really about to let all that happen?_

He muttered a curse, his head dropping onto my shoulder with an annoyed groan before he picking his head back up and looking down at me with an apologetic smile that was mixed with reluctance and irritation.

I watched as Jasper sat up and reached behind him to pick up his cell that was sitting on the end table. He briefly looking down at the caller ID, frowning.

"I have to take this," he murmured, rising to his feet at the end of the sofa, holding the phone to his ear. "Whitlock." I continued to survey him as he took his call, sitting back up as I adjusted my clothing. "Oh, hey Maria."

 _Maria?_

"Yeah, everything's good here," he continued to speak with her, making it clear to me that this wasn't a business call. "Yeah, I'll be at the house this weekend...And the charity too, yes." he laughed at something she said. "Well, you know my mom...uh huh...And what did they say?"

I stood, feeling an uncomfortable knot forming in my stomach. This woman must be important to him for him to have answered her call during such an intimate moment between us. But it was all the more reason of why I shouldn't be here, doing this with him. I could only be relieved that I came to this realization before it was too late.

 _But wasn't it already too late?_ I was starting to have feelings for this man that I hardly knew, and it was very disconcerting.

"Jasper?" I whispered as I quietly approached him.

He turned to look at me and frowned, covering the mouthpiece with his hand as he spoke, "I'm sorry, I'll be right off. This isn't exactly the kind of call I can avoid taking at the moment."

"It's okay," I waved him off. "I've got to go anyway."

He sighed and removed his hand from the speaker. "Maria, I've got to call you back." And, just like that, he hung up on her. "Again, I'm really sorry about that." He was genuinely apologetic, but, unfortunately, the damage had already been done.

"Really, it's fine. I really have to get going, anyway," I tugged on my sleeve and made a step backwards toward the elevator, only to be matched by one of his own as he stood toe to toe with me.

"There's nothing I can say to change your mind?" He asked as he reached up to cup my jaw, running his thumb gently over my bottom lip.

I sucked in a harsh breath, unable to control the reactions that this man seemed to have over my body, but, by now, my buzz from the glass of Bourbon had thoroughly worn off, along with my impulsiveness, and I sighed, giving him a small smile as I reached up to take his hand off of my cheek, holding onto it a second longer than I should as I pressed a kiss to his knuckles.

"Good night, Jasper."

He sighed, dropping his hand and keeping himself back from pursuing me further as I stepped away from him in the direction of the elevator. I called for the car, which, luckily, was still on his floor, waiting, and the double doors slid open.

Stepping over the threshold and onto the elevator, I heard him murmur one last thing before the elevator doors closed behind me, putting the final barrier between Jasper and I.

"Sweet dreams, Darlin'."

* * *

I sighed as though I could finally breathe again since being in Jasper Whitlock's presence. It was something I'd never experienced before, the way he seemed to get up and under my skin, making me feel so many different things at once. It excited and scared me in more ways than one, but as much as I was growing to care for the man, it also gave him the ability to break me, and I _would_ be broken. So the only way I could think of to prevent such a thing from happening was to find a way to get him completely out of my system, if that was even possible.

Making my way further into the apartment, I tossed my keyring and credentials onto the kitchen counter and pulled off my sweater as I headed into the bedroom to get changed into a pair of loose-fitting sweats and an oversized hoodie to get ready for bed.

Once settled, I pulled my laptop open and logged onto my Skype account. It was only a matter of seconds later that a request to chat popped up on my screen.

"Hey baby girl." An image of Edward lounging backwards on his bed took over my screen and I smiled, a warm and comforting sensation overtaking me at his familiar mess of curly dark hair and hazel eyes.

"Hey Edward," I greeted him in return, pulling the blankets around me.

He leaned forward to better see his screen and grinned approvingly. "Nice digs. That new employer of yours sure knows how to set his people up."

"Yeah,"I agreed as I looked down at the soft, white, liquid cotton sheets with a small smile. "You should see some of the upper management's suites. They're a lot nicer than most apartments that you'd find in the city." I thought back on Jasper's suite several floors above me, and I hadn't even seen the upstairs loft where the bedroom was. Then again, maybe that was a good thing.

"How was your first day?" He asked as he fell backwards against a stack of pillows, and I began relaying the events of the day, minus the impromptu drink I had with Jasper less than an hour ago.

"So, you really see things working out there?"

I nodded, a smile tugging at my lips. "If everything continues on like it did today, I don't see why it wouldn't. Everyone was so nice and welcoming so far, and the lab is amazing, Edward! You should see some of the equipment they have!" I straightened slightly, feeling myself bubble up with excitement as I regarding my first day in the lab. "It makes everything back at CSU look obsolete and outdated. And don't get me started on the work itself - not that I can actually talk about it, but still."

"That's great, Bells. I'm really happy for you." He smiled genuinely, though I could tell something was bothering him as his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

"What's eating you?" I wondered, leaning back against my own pillows. "You seem kind of, I don't know, glum...off."

Edward shook his head, waving me off. "It's nothing you need to worry about, right now."

I gave him a 'you've got to be kidding' look. "How well do you know me, exactly?"

He laughed half-heartedly, "Point taken." And then his smile faded. "It's just been a long day, babygirl. My boss was really riding my ass today and had me all stressed out to the point where I feel like I can't even keep my eyes open anymore," he yawned loudly.

"Really? Are you working a case, or something?"

He shook his head, rubbing an eye with the heel of his hand. "Nah, we just closed a case last week. We are just in the process of finalizing our conclusions, so it really should be cake work." Edward worked in the forensic sciences, helping the Las Vegas Police Department, as well as other private contractors who needed forensic evidence for one reason or another.

"Hmm, maybe he was just having a bad day?" I didn't know his boss well, and had only met him a handful of times, but from what I'd seen, he seemed like a down to earth kind of guy. "Or maybe his supervisors are breathing down his neck about something. If I were you, I'd give it a week and see if it continues. If it does, talk to him and find out what the problem is so you and he can come to some sort of compromise."

"Yeah, I'll do that. Thanks for the advice." He yawned again.

"I'm sorry, Ed. Am I keeping you up, or something?"

He shifted against his pillow. "Nah, like I said, I'm just worn out."

"Well, maybe I should just let you go and get some sleep. I don't want you fBellang asleep tomorrow on the job. We can talk another day when you're not so fried." I smirked at him through the screen.

He chuckled, "Fine, fine, I'll let you talk to Kate. You two can gossip, or whatever it is you chicks talk about."

"Oh, didn't you know?" Kate's voice appeared in the background before she showed up next to him on camera. "Us chicks have a daily gossip quota we are required to accomplish each week, and you and your super-genius science-type-talk is cutting into our chatter time."

He rolled his eyes, "Don't be jealous just because you chose a job with a career you can't stand."

"Hey," she huffed, "Public Relations can be great under the right circumstances and can offer some awesome insight to some fantastic functions."

That reminded me...

"Oh, hey, I almost forgot! This Saturday my boss's company is having some charity fundraiser gala that I am now on the guest list for, and I was told that I'm allowed to bring a few extra people." I smirked at the growing excitement forming on Kate's face. "Know anyone who would be interested in attending it with me?"

She squealed, causing Edward to wince and put his hands over his ears. "You're talking about Whitlock Incorporated's Annual Children's Fundraising Gala! My boss's boss personally does the PR for them every year!"

I nodded, "Yeah, this year's charity is for kids in the foster-care system."

"I know!" Kate gushed. "I wanted to go to the one they hosted last year for kids who'd suffered from abuse, but it is like mega tricky to get an invite, and we had just moved in so I didn't have the connections - still don't." She grumbled the last bit. "So, how on earth did you manage it?" A sly look crossed her face. "It was that hunk-a-bag of sexiness who got your in, wasn't it?"

"Wait, who?" Edward suddenly looked alarmed, but she waved him off, pressing for me to answer her.

"Um, no, actually any employee is automatically invited to any of the functions that Whitlock Inc. throws - or so I've been told, anyway." I shrugged.

Her smile widened, "Well, maybe this new job won't be such a tragedy, after all."

"Uh hello? Remember me? Edward? Can someone please tell me who this guy is and why we're so excited?" He protested.

"He's just the guy who owns the company I work for, Edward. It's no big deal." I reassured him

"Mm hm," Kate's expression clearly told me that I wasn't fooling anyone with my answer.

"So, do you guys want to go?" I diverted the subject to something I knew would get Kate's attention

She squealed again, much to Edward's irritation. "Are you kidding me? Like you even have to ask!"

"Jesus, Kate," He complained with a wince before turning his focus back onto me. "I guess it would be cool."

"We're going to have to go shopping on Saturday afternoon, then," Kate forewarned, knowing my averse to all things shopping. "It's black tie only."

I sighed, "Can't I just use something from my closet?"

Her hand snapped up to rest on her chest over her heart as she was taken aback by the mirror suggestion. "Absolutely not! You, my dear, have to look amazing."

"And that's my cue to kick you two out." Edward made a shooing motion with his hands as Kate gave him a distempered glare.

"Don't think that just because you're not a part of the conversation doesn't mean that you get to skip out."

"Yeah," I agreed, "If I have to suffer through a Kate-branded shopping spree, then so do you, my friend."

"Awe, man," he whined, "Can't I just rent a tux, or something? I'm a guy! I don't care about name brands or what kind of shoes do or don't match my jacket!"

"Nope! You're going to buy something, especially now that we know you're going to be getting continuous use out of one. But, don't worry, we'll start small and just get one... for now, anyway." She smirked. "We'll go tomorrow after work since we won't have the time to go tux shopping on top dress _and_ shoe shopping on Saturday. Not to mention, we're going to be getting our nails done too. I'll be doing our hair, of course. So, we're going to have to get up early as it is." She listed off.

"Oh, no! Now, _that's_ where I draw the line!" He objected. "You. Out."

"But -"

He shook his head, "Nope. Out! Good night, Kate. Goodnight, Bella. I will talk to you both tomorrow." I watched as he picked up the laptop and placed it in Kate's arms so that I could only now see her disappointed and dumbfounded expression as he guided her out of his room by her shoulders.

I began to giggle uncontrollably at the rare sight of a speechless Kate, looking as though someone had told her that she was going to have to wear socks with sandals for the rest of her life.

Finally snapping out of it, she looked down at the screen in stunned exasperation. "Men!"

"He sure told you!" I continued to chortle.

"It would appear so," she grumbled as she marched into her own room and plopped herself down on the bed. "Anyway, did you ever get around to reading those attachments I emailed you about Mr. Tall Dark and Yummy?"

I shifted on the bed uneasily. "Not exactly," I admitted.

"Bella," she criticized me. "We've been over this."

"I know, I know!" I muttered. "It's just that I've been busy, and, if I'm honest, I don't like the idea of stalking a guy online just to get information I could just as easily ask him about in person."

"Okay, first of all, it's not stalking," She objected. "He did the interviews knowing damn well that people were going to read them. There's nothing in them that is overly personal or inappropriate. It's not like you're having him investigated behind his back or anything. You're just reading something about someone you know who gave his information willingly and freely with the knowledge that it was going to be read by millions of people." A redolent smile formed on her pink lips. "You never know, he might even be flattered that you'd made the effort to learn more about him."

The more I thought about it, the more I was beginning to see her side of things. It was like the angel and devil who were sitting on my shoulders were finally coming to an understanding and made an agreement. She was right, after all. It's not like I was stealing the man's personal journal and digging through for secrets or intimate information to share. Instead, I would be reading a piece of journalism that was provided to the public by the man, himself.

"Okay, you've convinced me," I conceded.

Her smile widened, "Great! Let me know if you have any questions after you read it!"

"Er...sure," I laughed, shaking my head.

"We'll chat tomorrow, or the next day. I've got to get an early start tomorrow, anyway. The queen-bitch, herself, is insisting upon a last minute meeting first thing." Her expression told me that this wasn't something that she was happy about.

"And you're not looking forward to it?"

"Hell no!" Kate exclaimed. "I'm telling you, Bella, the woman is out to get me!"

I gave her a diffident look through the camera. "I think it's all in your head, Katie."

She shook her head argumentatively. "You've never met her, hon. She's always piling on last minute projects for me that require me to stay late or through lunch. It's like she's purposefully trying to drive me out of my ever loving mind!"

"Then don't let her get to you," I replied. "If she's really trying to rile you up, then show her that she's not succeeding, that you're stronger than that. Once she sees that she can't intimidate you, she'll back off."

Kate sighed, "I'm trying, but it's not easy. There are days when I want to take her by that thick head of raven hair and bash her face through her desk."

"Youch! Remind me not to get on your bad side."

She laughed half-heartedly at my attempted humor. "Like you could ever be on my bad side."

I gave her an adoring smile in a silent reply.

"Well, I've got to get going if I want to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to fend off the wicked witch of the west. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay, hon. Talk to you then." I blew her a kiss and closed our video feed before opening up a new window for my email, pulling up the attachments that she had sent me.

I clicked on the first attachment and it opened up to a picture of Jasper wearing his usual three piece suit and looking as if he owned the world from the way he was looking into the camera, alone. I began to scroll down and began to read, enraptured with everything he had to say and what he'd shared from his life. It didn't go into too much detail about his family, but I did learn that his father, Carlisle Cullen, was a very successful investment banker turned surgeon, and his mother, Esme Cullen, was born into a family that came from a long line of money and was considered a socialite. His oldest brother, Peter, was a chief and co-owned a small chain of popular restaurants across the country that Jasper was the main shareholder in, while his younger sister, Jane, was - as I'd already learned - an interior designer who ran her own studio, as well as an aspiring artist. Finally, his youngest sibling, Alec, had been adopted when he was eight, however that was all that was said about his kid brother. All in all, each member of his family was successful and brilliant at what they did, though, in my opinion, it must have been a high set of standards to measure up to, especially for a kid.

The article went on to say that he had gone to college at Stanford University, graduating with honors, and that he made his first billion at twenty-seven. It listed some of his more famous industrial ventures, as well as some of his aspirations in the business world. Overall, he was a man who had everything one could strive to gain in his profession, which was one of the reason why he was so famous at what he did. It also described the many charities his company both hosted and contributed to. However, there was one specific quote from Jasper that stood out to me, "I have been blessed with a lot of good fortune and success in just about anything I've aspired to be in my adult life. If I can be responsible for changing even one person's life by sharing my prosperity, then everything I've done to lead up to that will have been worth it." Those two sentences gave me more information about the man than anything else in the article could have.

I closed the window and opened up the next link, which turned out to be a similar shorter article, but it leaned more towards the types of companies he had recently bought out and what he had planned to do in order to improve their numbers. One thing I did notice was that neither article spoke about his personal life, aside from the brief mention of his family and business associates. I couldn't help but wonder if it was done on purpose or if the interviewers just weren't interested in anything outside of his successful industrial ventures.

I scrolled down further through Kate's email where I noticed one other link with a note attached.

 _I thought this would be beneficial.  
Open it or not, it's your choice. - K_

My curiosity got the better of me as I impulsively opened the link. It only occurred to me after the page had loaded that this was most likely Kate's plan all along, knowing that my inquisitive personality would drive me to open the link - my best childhood friend knew me that well. However, this wasn't just another business-type interview. Instead, it was a gossip site titled 'America's Most Eligible Bachelor.'

"Oh, Kate," I grumbled to myself, shaking my head.

I was about to close the site when I noticed a tag posted for pictures, and figured that there would be no harm in viewing a couple photos of the man. Little did I know, there would be hundreds of them added by other viewers of the blog.

I began to sift through the pictures and their captions, showing Jasper at different events or photoshoots. There were many that had him accompanied by different women, and it was rare to see the same one on his arm twice. However, there were a couple that kept popping up, but one name in particular had caught my attention; Maria Volturi.

My stomach dropped as I took in her flawless complexion and naturally tanned skin covering her model-type figure. Her chocolate brown eyes looked adoringly up at him with her dark hair tucked behind one ear in a style that was shorter in the back but longer in the front. The caption speculated as to their involvement and the date showed that the picture had only been taken a couple of weeks prior at a gala that was said to have been organized by Maria's PR firm.

Unable to take another second of looking at the photo, I closed the site and shut the lid on my laptop, placing it down on my nightstand. I reached over and turned off the lights in an attempt to close my eyes and shut out the world for the rest of the evening, all the while knowing I would have to face it all over again in the light of day tomorrow.

* * *

As I entered the lab the following morning already dressed in my uniform and lab coat, I found Jared and Carmen at one of the desks off to the side talking. The pair looked up at me as soon as they saw me enter, each one wearing a different expression.

"Ms. Swan," Carmen waved me over in her business-filled tone. Jared smiled as I approached the them, but otherwise waited until I was in front of her before another word was spoken. "You will be working with Mr. Cameron for the rest of the day until I can provide you with your own assignments on Monday," she gestured at Jared.

"Yes, ma'am," I agreed, and she nodded before heading off into a different direction without another word.

Once she was out of earshot, the amusement that had morphed on to Jared's face gave way to a chuckle. "Ma'am?"

"Shut up," I smirked, rolling my eyes as I gave him a friendly jab. "Let's just get to work."

His brows shot up. "Someone's a little cranky this morning. Want to talk about it?"

I smiled endearingly, placing my hand on his upper arm with gratitude. "Thanks, I really appreciate the concern, but no."

Jared wrapped an arm around my shoulder and led me over to our work station. "Okay, but just know I'm here if you ever want to talk." I could tell he was genuine in his offer and it made my fondness for him grow all the more.

The hours went by quickly as we worked on and perfected our formulas. Jared was a lot of fun to work with and was incredibly smart and wity. Sure, sometimes he came on a little strong with his flirtatious behavior, but it was harmless and just a part of who he was. With his good looks and humor-filled remarks, I had trouble believing that he was really a physics prodigy, but then he would flash back into work mode and my whole outlook on the guy would change. It was a picture-perfect definition of the phrase 'never judge a book by its cover.'

"Here, check this out and tell me what you think?" He gestured into the microscope and stepped aside for me to be able to get a good look through the lense.

"It's brilliant," I smiled admiringly, pulling back to look at him. "You really are amazing at what you do."

A humbled complexion brightened his features as he took off his gloves and brushed a hand through the side of his hair. "Thanks." He cleared his throat, shifting almost nervously, which was an odd quality I had yet to see on him, yet here it was. "Hey, Bella, I know this probably isn't this time or place, but I wanted to ask-"

"Ms. Swan," Carmen approached the platform where we had been working, and I turned toward her questioningly. "Mr. Whitlock requests your presence in his office, pronto."

My brows shot up as I straightened in surprise. "Did he say what this was regarding?"

She scoffed, "It's not my place to question him. Just go. Zafrina will tell you how to get there from inside the lab." Carmen turned and strode away.

I looked over at Jared apologetically, and he smiled a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Duty calls."

I sighed, "Guess so. I'll be back as soon as I can."

He shrugged, "No worries," and then slipped on a new pair of gloves as he turned back to the slide on his microscope.

I made my way to the stairwell that led to the loft where Carmen's office was with Zafrina posted outside. She smiled and waved, and I greeted her in return, but with an undertone that said I couldn't stop to chat.

"I have to head up to Mr. Whitlock's office. Carmen said you could tell me how to get there from here?"

Her smiled faded and her eyes flashed mischievously. "Sure, just head down this hallway, follow it around the bend past the conference rooms to the back and take the elevator up. You should know where you are by then."

"Thanks," I shot her a quick smile and continued on my way.

As I entered the elevator, I realized that it was the same elevator that I usually used, but that it opened from the both sides. So, I quickly slid my credentials through the slot and hit the floor number. When the doors opened up, I rounded the corner and once again saw Irina at her desk, smiling pleasantly.

"Hello, again!" Her smile was light and airy, and I couldn't help but to smile in return.

"Hey Irina," I stopped in front of the barrier at her desk. "I'm -"

"-Here to see Mr. Whitlock," she finished for me, giggling. "I know. He'd called down, himself, a couple of minutes ago, telling me to walk you up."

My eyebrows shot up. "Huh," I said more to myself as she made her way around her desk.

"Follow me." She led me up the stairs on the right and down the hall towards the other bank of elevators. "Just so you know, you've just been given clearance to get off at his floor, so the next time you go up there I won't need to escort you."

"Next time?" Who said that there would be a next time?

Irina turned to me in confusion. "I was under the assumption that the two of you were...close?"

"Uh," I ducked my head slightly as I stalled, unsure how to answer that. "I guess you could say we're friends."

She gave me a sly smile. "Just friends?"

I laughed uncomfortably. "Yeah, just friends."

The look on her face told me that she didn't believe me, but would let it go for now.

The elevator opened up into a wide, brightly lit hallway, immediately revealing a decent-sized room hosting two desks. I recognized Tanya sitting at one, giving me a narrowed-eyed glare from behind her computer monitor, while a thinly-built man who looked to be in his early twenties sat in the other talking animatedly on the phone.

"Okay, I'll be sure to pencil you in...okay, bye." He hung up the phone and stood, his smile widening when he saw us as he began making his way around his desk. "Irina, you just can't stay away from me, can you, sweetheart?"

She let out a girlish giggle, "Oh, Paul, don't flatter yourself. I'm just here to escort Isabella per Mr. Whitlock's instructions."

His eyes shifted to mine. "Ah, so you're the new girl who's got the boss-man in such a tizzy."

"Shut up, Paul," Tanya practically growled, "She's just his new flavor of the week. She isn't the first and _definitely_ won't be the last."

I knew that she was just acting jealous and catty, but, for some reason, her little dig had hit it's mark and gotten to me.

"Oh yeah? And which flavor are you? Sour grapes?" Paul rolled his eyes, obviously having noticed what her comment had done to me. "I don't recall asking for your opinion, so, do us all a favor, and don't offer one." He turned to me. "Ignore her. She's been in a bad mood all day today." Paul backed up a couple of steps to reach the intercom on his phone, hitting a large button in the corner. "Mr. Whitlock, Ms. Swan is here to see you."

Jasper's response was immediate and brisk. "Good. Send her in."

He turned back to me, leaning against his desk. "Go on in. It's the set of double doors at the end."

I smiled my thanks and turned to make my way around the corner and down another wide hallway that was see-through on one side, giving me a clear view into an empty conference room that was surrounded by glass on both of the longer sides, providing an intimate view of the lab and it's technicians. At the end of the short, gradually widening hallway was a set of double doors which, along with the glass walls on both sides, were frosted over with beautiful sapphire-hued reflective film on the exterior windows, ensuring privacy, and I reached to push open one of the handles, hesitantly stepping inside.

Jasper's office was impressive, as well as far larger than any of the other's I've seen here and matched his personality to the T. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the lab on two sides, while a wall of glass faced the rest of the office space. The one opaque wall that sat on the opposite end of the massive desk was capped in flat screen televisions that were streaming news channels from all around the world. There were a few distinct seating areas with black leather furniture, each one larger than the last, and a bar that exhibited jeweled crystal decanters, which dispensed the only spots of color in a palette that was otherwise black, gray, and, of course, white.

The whole setup just screamed 'Master of the Universe' and in the center was the king, himself, with his back to me, facing his wall to wall glass window overlooking the entire main lab. His jacket was hung on over the top of a nearby chair, and his sleeves were once again rolled up, revealing the tattoo on his forearm. Both of his hands were pressed up against the clear glass barrier, his back muscles tensed as his head bowed down in the middle as he surveyed his kingdom.

"You wanted to see me?" I cleared my throat to get his attention, though I knew he was aware of my presence just as well as I was of his. An electricity bounced heavily between us, even from as far away from each other as we were.

Without turning, he cut right to the chase, his tone indignant and turbulent. "Are you sleeping with him?"

My jaw practically dropped at his inquisition. "Excuse me?"

He turned to look at me, dropping one arm as he shifted his body towards me, his jaw clenched and eyes like a raging storm, having gone from a beautiful blue to a haunting grey. "You heard me, Isabella. Are you sleeping with Jared Cameron?"

I couldn't believe this. He must have one hell of a set of brass balls to pull a stunt like this.

"Is this why you brought me up here?" I waited for his answer, but it never came, and I scoffed, anger of my own bubbling to the surface to accompany all of my pent up animosity and resentment that had been building since the night before. "You've got to be kidding me!" I ranted when I realized that he wasn't going to answer, unable to believe that this was happening. "You interrupted my work day and had me ushered into your office just to ask me about my sex life? You can't be serious!"

He whirled on me, making his way around his desk. "Answer the question, Bella!"

"No!"

His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. "No, what?" He gritted out between his teeth.

I huffed, tossing my hands up in frustration and the ludicrousness of the situation. "No, I'm not sleeping with him!"

The tension in his body seemed to fade, but his eyes still held their steely rage. "I don't like the way he looks at you, touches you."

"Well, that's really too bad, isn't it? Because it's not your place to worry about those things when it comes to me."

His eyes flashed, "The hell it's not!"

I laughed humorlessly, shaking my head. I couldn't believe this, believe him. The nerve!

"Look, you've already got your own flame to worry about, and I'm not willing to be a side piece that you can order around. So why not cut our losses and let me get back to work?"

Baffled by my words, Jasper cocked his head in confusion, his whole demeanor shifting. "Wait, what?"

I scoffed, "Don't act so perturbed. I already know you're dating Maria Volturi."

Amusement suddenly pulled at his features. "Maria? Is that what you're going on about?" He took a step forward and went to reach for me, only for me to pull back, not wanting to lose myself to his electrifying touch. He sighed, "I'm not dating Maria, Bella. I'm not dating anybody!"

It was my turn to be addled by his admission. "What? But the way you were talking to her last night! And the pictures -"

"Maria and her PR firm is putting together my company's charity fundraiser on Saturday. They do a lot of our events." He interpreted.

My brows scrunched together as I thought about this. "But on the phone, you said she knew your mom?"

A smile formed on his lips, and, for once, it was not full of contemptuousness. "Our families have been close friends for years, and it wasn't by my doing, believe me. Her own mother can be quite a handful."

I frowned, starting to feel a little foolish for making assumptions based on a one-sided phone call. "And what about the pictures of you two together? It said that you guys were dating."

He shook his head, "You can't believe everything you read in the magazines or on those gossip sites. Their whole purpose is to invent drama to captivate their readers into buying their rags. The majority of that stuff they print aren't remotely close to the truth. Some of the times, they even reinvent old photographs just to get a rise out of the public." From the way he spoke of them, it sounded as though he had an intimate knowledge of the jackals and how they operate due to his own experiences with them.

"Oh," I let out a breath of air, horrified at the presumptuous way I'd acted in regards to him and Maria. "I'm so sorry, Jasper." My hands fiddled with the hem of the sleeve on my labcoat, unable to meet his eyes for fear of what I'd see.

Jasper chuckled, and, before I knew what was happening, he was scooping me into his arms and cupping my jaw, tilting my face up towards his. "There's no need to apologize. In fact, I'd say we're about even." He stroked my heated cheek with the pad of his thumb, reminding me why I was here in his office to begin with.

"Yeah, but you have to know that I'm not too happy regarding the way you went about asking me about it, though," I huffed in irritation.

"I couldn't help it," he admitted, then scowled, "I've been up here watching the two of you for the last few hours and it was driving me insane."

"Were you, Jasper Whitlock, dare I say, _jealous_?" I smirked.

"You're damn right, I was," he freely professed without an ounce of hesitation. "I was going crazy up here." He leaned in and smashed his lips to mine, his kiss possessive and dominant, owning my every response to his tongue as it glided languidly against mine.

My body seemed to act on it's own accord as I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer against me as he backed me up a couple of steps against the far wall next to a large bookcase, the coolness of the drywall blocked out by my lab coat and uniform. His hands trailed down from my lower back to the backs of my thighs as he hoisted me up to wrap my legs around his hips, giving him the opportunity to grind his growing erection against my moist center.

I gasped at the pleasure that radiated out from my core. "God, Jasper." I moaned, raking my fingernails into his hair as he began to nip and kiss his way down my neck and over my collar bone, pushing the flaps of my lab coat aside.

He continued to grind himself into me, repeatedly hitting the same spot that relentlessly made my body shake and shudder. His fingertips trailed up my side and around the front my ribs until he was at his desired destination. Kneading my breast in his hand, he pinched my nipple, causing me to tense as the electricity that shot down to my sex. From our continuous foreplay and the way that he seemed to play my body with his own, I was already almost there. I just needed something...A little more...

"Come for me, Kitten," Jasper whispered, his lips and breath tickling the shell of my ear as he reached down with his fingers to hit my clit on the outside of my scrubs, sending me hurdling over the edge and into oblivion. The grip I had on his hair tightened and he growled, his chest vibrating with the sound against mine.

He held me in his arms as I fought to catch my breath, the spots in front of my eyes beginning to fade as I came back down to earth. I felt dizzy and sated and, well, let's just say it, I felt pretty damn amazing after such a fast-approaching orgasm like that.

"Spend the night with me, Bella," he panted into my ear, his erection still hard against me. "Just one night. Please?"

I silently deliberated with whatever brain power I had left. I couldn't afford to get attached to this man, no matter how perfect he seemed to be. But as I thought it through, I started to wonder that maybe if I spent a night with him, it would somehow work him out of my system and possibly stop his fervent pursuit of me if he finally got what he was after. It was a long shot on my end, but if he was really only after me for sex, this would at least help me get over him faster.

"One night?"

He pulled back to look me in the eyes to gage my seriousness. "One night," he promised as he pushed some of the loose strands that had fallen out of my messy bun behind my ear

I breathed in a deep lung full of air, hoping with everything I had that I wasn't making a huge mistake that I'd only end up regretting later.

"Okay."

* * *

The rest of my friday was filled with anxiety as I waited for six o'clock to roll around. We'd agreed to do it tonight and I was sure that our reasons weren't too different. I didn't want to give myself too long to think about it, not wanting to risk talking myself out of it with inconsequential rationalizations. Plus, if I was being perfectly honest, I couldn't wait too long before having his perfectly toned body pressed up against mine again. The feelings and sensations that he was able to create in me were beyond words. The man was obviously talented and extremely experienced if he was able to make my body sing the way it did without even removing any of my clothes.

I had called Kate earlier in the day to tell her that I wouldn't be home until tomorrow morning since I had canceled my helicopter ride in favor of one tomorrow morning. When she had asked why, I just told her that there were some last minute plans that I couldn't miss here at work. However, she could hear the edge in my voice and didn't buy my little white lie and pestered me until she finally pulled the truth from me, which resulted in an excited squeal and a listing of my entire wardrobe that I had brought here with me. After several vetoed choices, we finally settled on something before I told her that I had to go and would see her the next day.

I was now pacing the length of my livingroom, dressed in the nice white blouse Kate and I had agreed upon and a pair of tight black slacks with brown leather knee-high boots. It was the best I could do considering the fact that I hadn't felt the need to pack anything nicer. It wasn't like I was expecting to do anything remotely close to this when I was putting together a collection of clothing for this place.

A knock on the door sent my nerves to an all time high, and, taking a deep breath, I made my way to the door, turning the knob to open it.

Jasper stood there looking exceptionally handsome, as always, in his designer three piece suit with a blue tie that matched his eyes. I was beginning to feel underdressed until I remembered that we were only heading up to his suite, and I relaxed.

"You look beautiful," he complimented me as he took in my attire with praising eyes.

"Thanks," I smiled, "You don't look too bad, yourself, Ace."

"Thank you." He turned sideways and gestured to the hallway behind him. "Are you ready to go?"

I swallowed and nodded, reaching down to pick up my messenger's bag by the door that I never went anywhere without. "Sure."

I went to take a step out the door, only for him to stop me in my tracks with a disapproving cock of his head. "Don't you have a jacket?"

I was befuddled by this question and the look on my face reflected my state of mind. "Why would need one? Are we going somewhere?"

His lips pulled up into his signature cocky grin. "Well, I figured that since I was keeping you from heading back into the city tonight, that I would take you back myself."

My eyebrows rose further towards my hairline as comprehension dawned on me. "Oh. Then I will be right back." I slipped back into my apartment and headed into my bedroom where I began rummaging through the inside of my closet for the only jacket I'd brought with me, which, lucky for me, matched my boots.

"Allow me." I practically jumped at the voice whose origin came from right over my left shoulder, not realizing that he had followed me the rest of the way inside.

"Erm...thanks." I released my leather jacket into his capable hands as he helped me slip my arms into it before taking a step closer to assist me with my long dark curls, laying them over my right shoulder. My heart began to pound at his close proximity, my body's natural reaction to this Adonis, as he wrapped his arms around my waist, threading his fingers through mine as he began to brush open mouthed kisses up the side of my neck.

"I love the way you taste right here," he whispered, "The way your pulse point thrums against my lips when you're aroused is most gratifying." I swallowed thickly as he pulled back and turned me around to face him with a satisfied smile. His eyes were a dark shade of blue as he looked down at me hungerly, purposefully holding himself back. "Let's get out of here before I end up ravishing you over your dresser. We'll never get out of here and miss our reservations at that rate." He ignored my stunned expression, grabbing for my hand as he led me out of the bedroom and towards the front door of my suite.

"Reservations?"

Jasper didn't elaborate on my question and I dutifully allowed him to guide me towards the bank of elevators at the end of the hall.

"Bella!" I heard my name being called by a feminine voice and stopped, turning to see Zafrina, Paul, Irina, Tanya, Jared, Jessica, Mike and Ben making their way towards us, a small bag on each of their person.

"Hey guys," I smiled as I attempted to relinquish Jasper's hand, only for him to grip it tightly, not allowing me to free myself.

"Where are you off to?" Irina asked, her eyes bouncing between me and Jasper. However, it was Jasper who answered, much to my surprise and horror, before I could even look up in his direction.

"I'm taking Isabella out for the evening."

Each of their various expressions made it clear about what they were thinking. Zafrina, Jessica, Paul and Ben all wore amused, excited smirks and grins, while Jared, Irina and Mike all seemed a bit more reserved behind their smiles. It was almost like they were concerned, but acknowledged the fact that I was a grown woman who was able to make her own choices and learn from any mistakes. Tanya, on the other hand, wasn't looking at me at all. Her eyes were glued only on Jasper, full of irritation, want and anxiety. At some point she must have felt my eyes on her, because her attention flickered over to me, morphing into a jealous glare.

Embarrassed at having been caught staring at the scorned beauty, I ripped my focus away from her and uneasily cleared my throat as I transfered it onto my friends, noticing that Jared seemed to be scrutinizing Jasper before looking back at me with unreadable features.

"What about you guys?" I asked no one in particular. "What are your plans for the night?"

"Oh, we're all headed to the bus that will take us back into the city." Zafrina answered still smiling.

"They have a bus?" I wondered why I hadn't been told about that. I could have taken that instead of inconveniencing the helicopter pilot for an extra trip home tomorrow.

"Yeah, it runs four times a day going back and forth from here to the city." Paul elaborated.

"Huh," I thought to myself.

We all began to head down the rest of the hallway towards the elevators and Jasper pressed the button to summon a car.

"Have you decided if you are going to go to the charity fundraiser tomorrow?" Mike asked as we waited for it to arrive.

I nodded, "Yeah, my roommates and I are going to go together."

"That's great!" Irina practically bounced in her enthusiasm, much to Paul's amusement.

"Settle down, froggy," he chuckled as the elevator arrived and opened it's doors. "Save that energy for later!""

We all stepped inside, the car being just big enough to fit all of us comfortably, as well as their bags, without breaching the weight limit and sounding the alarm.

"Going up?" Ben grinned as he slid his credentials and hit the button for the ground level for all of us.

As the car began to move, Jasper wrapped a possessive arm around my waist, finally releasing the hand he'd been holding, and I looked up at him quizzically. What was his motivation for this charade? Why did he find it necessary to state such an obvious claim in front of my new group of friends and co workers? Was it for his benefit or mine?

Our group chatted amongst ourselves for the rest of the ride up, but Jasper and I remained silent. I wasn't sure what his reasoning was, but my mind was still trying to play catch up with everything that was going on, as well as the many questions that seemed to be rolling on a continuous loop through my mind.

Finally, the car settled on the ground floor and the doors slid opened, revealing the long white corridor that I had come through when Sue first took me back after my arrival earlier on in the week.

Speaking of Sue, I noticed her and her assistant, Rachel, as we made our way down the hallway towards the pair of double doors that would lead us to the wonderful five star reception office - note my sarcasm there.

"Hey Sue!" Ben skipped ahead to get her attention.

She stopped in front of the double doors, sliding her credentials for the doors to slide open. "Hey guys!" She grinned widely when she noticed us, her brows shooting up when she saw Jasper walking amongst us. "Oh! Mr. Whitlock! How are you this evening?"

He smiled down at her and nodded, "Ms. Clearwater. I'm doing fine, thank you." He reached over and, once again, enveloped my hand in his, and I let him without protest.

Sue hadn't missed the gesture and she followed our hands up to my face as a pleasantly surprised smile shifted from her polite acknowledging one. "Bella! How was your first week?"

"It was very productive."

She nodded, still smiling. "That's always good to hear. I'm sorry I haven't been around, but I had some of my own busy work to take care of up here that's kept me occupied, especially processing the rest of your paperwork," she winked.

It was then that Rachel inadvertently brought attention to herself as she shuffled some papers into a folder.

"You both remember my assistant, Rachel. I've been having her bring me my meals from the dining hall." She gestured to her mousy assistant, who ducked behind her black rimmed glasses and tablet. It didn't surprise me, since, when I had met her before, when she witnessed the signing of the NDA they required me to sign during the application process, she had been very shy and quiet. She kind of reminded me of a librarian with her old fashioned style of long skirts and button down sweaters covering up most of her blouse and overly slim figure. Her straight blonde hair was the same as I remembered it, pulled back away from her face in a clip on the back of her head.

"Of course," Jasper smiled as he shifted his attention to her shy assistant. "How are you, Rachel?"

The girl's eyes practically bugged out of her head as she took in Jasper's towering presence, her cheeks immediately heating up with a bright pink hue. She was obviously extremely intimidated by him and wore the feelings well on the outside.

"Fine," she managed to squeak out, but only managed to enhance her blush as it began to trail down her neck.

I took pity on the girl and brought her attention over to me. "It's nice to see you again."

Her tense frame seemed to relax somewhat as she looked at me and nodded, "You too, Ms. Swan."

Our large group began to make it's way into the reception area, and I noticed the occupants behind the desk begin to straighten and, to my astonishment, smile as they saw their commander and chief walk by amongst the rest of us.

"Amusing, isn't it?"Ben murmured from next to me.

I nodded, "It's like they're all pre-programmed or something."

"Well, they are the closest thing to living robots that you can get, so I honestly wouldn't be surprised." He responded with a smirk as he lugged a large duffle bag over his shoulder.

"Are you moving out, or something?" I grinned. "I thought only us women were the ones who tend to overpack, and yet, here they are, the ones with the small bags."

Mike began to chuckle as he looked back at us from over his shoulder. "You know Ben - he can't go anywhere without lugging two dozen laptops behind him."

Ben glared at him. "This is my laundry, you asshat. I only brought Lucy with me."

I quirked a brow. "Lucy?"

"The dork names his equipment," Mike explained as we made our way outside into the desert air, passing the two armed guards who were stationed outside the doors.

The sun had just begun to set, so it wasn't too hot or cold out at this time of day with the temperatures reaching nearly one hundred during the day and the mid to late sixties at night during the month of June. The light jacket that Jasper suggested I bring would definitely be necessary after sundown.

"Look! There's the bus." Jessica pointed to the large sleek black coach bus that didn't look anything like I'd imagined it would. It had darkly tinted windows and bore no logos or names written on any of the sides, most likely for confidentiality purposes to preserve the company's discretion.

"I know I can't wait to get back home," Zafrina sighed happily.

"Hot date with Nahuel tonight?" Mike wondered with a suggestive smile.

"More like a hot date with my TiVo and a carton of Chunky Monkey ice cream," she laughed, then went on to explain that Nahuel, who I just learned was the head of his own record label that was based here in Vegas, was going to be in the studio all night with one of his recording artists as they finished with their first single. "So it will be just me until tomorrow morning."

"We should probably get going too," Jasper voiced down to me before turning back to the group in front of us. "Have a safe trip back."

"You're not riding with us?"Tanya spoke up for the first time.

Everyone looked over at her like she had lost her mind, but Jasper only smiled and shook his head. "I have another mode of transportation in mind for Isabella and I."

Her face fell and I noticed Irina reach out to take her sister's hand as she smiled at Jasper and I. "Then have a safe trip, as well, you two."

"Thanks," I smiled at her, happy to see that she wasn't going to be petty about my involvement with her sister's crush. I'd really grown to like her since meeting her for the first time, even if she was a bit of a gossip. She was friendly and upbeat, a real asset to the atmosphere in this place.

"I'll see you guys at the fundraiser tomorrow."

"Bye!" Several of my friends waved, and we began to break away from them as they started to head towards the bus.

"Bella! Wait!" Jared halted me before I could get out of reach, momentarily surprising me. He had been mostly quiet since Jasper and I ran into everyone in the hallway near the living quarters, and his random show of urgency completely threw me off. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Uh," I looked up at Jasper's impatient expression as he eyed him warily, then quickly turned back to Jared. "Can it wait until tomorrow when I see you at the gala?" I hated that I had to turn him away, but I could feel the tension brewing in the air between these two men, and knew that if I didn't get them away from each other soon, that it could get pretty nasty - especially after Jasper's jealous fit over our comfortable growing friendship earlier today.

Jared frowned in disappointment, loosening his grip on my elbow until it dropped back down at his side. "I guess it can wait." He ran his other hand through his hair as if he didn't know what else to say. "Just...be careful."

"Isabella will be safe with me," Jasper interjected, pulling me into his side.

Jared nodded, though I could read in his expression that wasn't that he doubted Jasper's ability to protect me physically, but that his intentions might not be enough to protect me mentally and emotionally. After all, I had those very same misgivings.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Jared," I smiled appreciatively at what he was trying to do for me and waved, letting Jasper guide me away.

He led me around to the back of the building where I knew the helicopter pad to be, and I raised my eyes to him questioningly.

"We're going in the helicopter?"

He shook his head, "Not the one that was sent to bring you here a few days ago. I have my own that we'll be taking."

I should have figured.

We rounded the building and it was then that I got my first glimpse of what looked to be a silver luxury chopper with the name WHITLOCK ENTERPRISES HOLDINGS, INC written in black with the company's logo on the side, completely unlike what I had imagined it would be when he said he had his own, rather than taking WINC Tech's chopper. I had expected that it would be something much smaller and seated for two. But, from what I could see, it could easily seat six comfortably on it's tan leather upholstery.

The familiar pilot who had flown me out here was climbing out of the helicopter and smiled when he saw Jasper and I approaching.

"Mr. Whitlock," he nodded and shook his hand.

"Roger," Jasper returned the gesture in a friendly, yet business-like manner. "Is she all set to go?"

"Yes, sir," Roger replied in a Texas drawl, standing at attention with his hands now clasped behind his back. I could tell that he had to have been a soldier, or might even be one here at the base, what with his military-like demeanor. "All external checks have been done, and here's your flight manifest. Everything's all set and ready whenever you are, Mr. Whitlock."

"Good work," Jasper nodded his approval and gestured to me, placing a hand on my lower back. "You've met Ms. Swan, already?"

His eyes flickered down to me and he smiled. "Yes, sir. She's a fine woman, very polite."

"Yes, she is." Jasper agreed, looking down at me with surprising affection.

"Thank you, Roger," I returned his smile, turning back to the pilot. "I take it you've been told that you won't have to give me a lift home tomorrow?"

"Yes ma'am, Mr. Whitlock has informed me of the changes to your schedule," he nodded, then turned his attention back to Jasper. "Will there be anything else you need from me, sir?"

"No, that will be all. Take care of yourself, Roger," Jasper bid him farewell as he began to guide me over towards the open door with his hand still planted on my lower back.

"Safe flight, sir. Ma'am," he called out from behind us as I looked back and forth between the two men as we walked, confused at what was going on.

"Isn't Roger going to be piloting the chopper?"

Jasper smirked down at me, stopping us in front of the door, his fingers now ghosting over the skin just under them hem of my shirt, causing me to shiver. "Nope." He then placed both hands on my hips and boosted me up into the co pilot's seat, shifting the buckles off to the sides for me to sit. "Don't touch anything," he instructed before shutting the door with a startling slam before climbing in behind me to slip in to take the pilot's seat to my left. It was then that everything fell into place and I looked over at him with wide eyes.

" _You're_ going to be flying us?"

"Bingo," he responded as he leaned over to help me into the four point harness that had all of the straps connecting to a central buckle, his fingers brushing suggestively against my torso as he did so. He was so close that I could smell his clean masculine heavenly scent, clouding my mind from my inquisition. He was definitely not playing fair, and I knew that he knew what he was doing. "There, you're all strapped in with no escaping, incase that's what you were thinking about doing." He looked up and grinned, his nose brushing softly against mine as he pulled the straps tight so I could hardly move, obviously enjoying my discomfort before ghosting the back of his knuckles along my cheek. "And I never said I'd play fair."

 _Shit, did I say that outloud?_

I shook my head to clear the clouds from my mind, enabling myself to focus and began looking around at the inside of the cockpit with awe. I had been sitting in the back of the WINC Tech chopper and didn't get the chance to really see the cockpit. So I took this chance to look around and fully take in the technology around me, noticing that the additional seating was comfortably spaced out in the back in the shape of a square, so that the passengers were facing each other. There were two fourteen inch flat screens that I assumed were touch screen to provide both information and entertainment to the passengers.

"Do you even know how to fly one of these?"

He chuckled a deep throaty sound that made my stomach flip as he buckled himself into his own harness. "We'll find out, won't we?"

"Oh, Jesus," I mumbled, saying a silent prayer that he knew what he was doing and that we would make it safely to the city.

"I'm just kidding, Isabella," he smiled. "I've been a fully qualified pilot for several years now. I promise that you'll be completely safe with me." He flashed me a wolfish grin, his dimples enhanced on both sides of his beautifully white teeth. "Well, at least while we're in the air. I can't make any guarantees about later," he added with a wink.

 _Ha...I can't believe he did that!_

Jasper then began an extensive procedure of scrutinizing gauges and flipping multiple switches and buttons from the staggering parade of dials and lights and switches in front of me. Small lights flashes and blinked from an assortment of dials, and the whole of the instrument panel lit up like Christmas.

"Put those on," he gestured to a set of headphones hanging in front of me, and I pulled them on over my ears just as the rotor blades started to spin with a deafening sound. He mimicked me, slipping on his own before recommencing with the flipping of numerous switches. "Just going through the rest of all the preflight checks, then we'll be on our way." Jasper's disembodied voice floated through the headphones before finally turning to me. "All set?"

I nodded, wide-eyed and took in a deep breath.

"Okay, tower. LAS, this is _Juliet Alpha_ \- Whiskey Echo Hotel, cleared for take-off. Please confirm, over."

" _Juliet Alpha -_ you are clear, LAS to call, proceed to one three thousand, heading zero one zero, over."

"Roger, tower, _Juliet Alpha_ set, over and out. Here we go," he added to me, and the chopper began to languidly advance effortlessly into the air.

The base began to fade behind us as we headed into U.S. airspace. With the sun setting over the horizon, the aerial view of the Mojave Desert was magnificent with colors so vivid, it looked like we belonged in one of the oil paintings I had noticed hanging in Jasper's office that were done by his sister. The sky above us was a brandeis blue that faded into a dodger blue the further you got toward the golden sunset, while the desert landscape was an orangutan orange.

Jasper once again communicated with the tower once we were at our cruising altitude."LAS, this is _Juliet Alpha_ now at one three thousand, over." He exchanged our data with air traffic control. In my opinion, it all came accross as very proficient and experienced. He was confident and relaxed, definitely in his element up here among the birds and the clouds.

"Is this the Jasper Whitlock customary for when it comes to impressing women?" I wondered, looking out the window, unwilling to look at him while he answered.

He sounded surprised, "What, a helicopter ride?" I nodded. "No, Isabella, you're the first and only woman outside of my family who I've brought up here with me."

"Oh," I took that in and couldn't help the feeling of flattery when I thought that through.

"Does this impress you?" He asked almost as an afterthought.

I secretly smiled to myself at the hopefulness I heard in his voice. "I'm dazzled."

"Dazzled?" He thought my answer over before deciding it was definitely something he could accept, and grinned boyishly. "Is that an actual compliment coming from you, Ms. Swan?" He asked sounding pleased.

I shrugged, "I believe there's a first time for everything, Mr. Whitlock."

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Jasper's voice once again reached my ears a couple of seconds later when I still didn't look back from my view out the window.

"Yeah," I answered as I peered out the glass. "Is this how your sister gets her stills for her paintings?" I remembered that he said I was the only woman outside of his family who'd been brought up here.

"Some of them, yes," he confirmed. "I've taken her up here several times around this time of day. She says it's her favorite time and claims that the color scheme brings her paintings to life."

"She's definitely not wrong," I mumbled more to myself as we pass over a rocky cliff face that overlooked the desert valley below..

"LAS to _Juliet Alpha_. Flight plan to Palms Place Tower in place. Please proceed. And stand by, over."

"This is _Juliet Alpha_ , understood, LAS. Standing by, over and out." He turned back to me. "Are you some kind of an artist, as well?"

I shook my head, "No. I've been told I've got steady hands that would make for a good artist, but I just can't seem to get into it, like most artists who have a reverence for it can. I guess you can say that my passions lie somewhere else."

"Science?" He guessed as he turned to grin in my direction.

"Of course," I smiled back at him, "Though, my interests are very extensive. Science will always be my first love, but I have other additional hobbies."

"Such as?"

I smirked covertly. "That, my friend, is something you'll just have to debunk as we go."

"Oh? Well, I'll be sure to _uncover_ every inch of you, Ms. Swan. You can count on it." His eyes were bright and laughing as they accompanied his suggestive smirk. He was clearly pleased with himself and his provocative play-on-words, and it made my stomach flip-flop as I took in a side of him that I was sure not many were able to see. He was usually so diligent and methodical around everyone else. Even if I'd seen plenty of his cocky attitude and self-assuredness, this was the first time I had seen him laid back and enjoying himself. Even I had to admit that I was really becoming fond of him this way.

"And what about you, Mr. Whitlock? Do you have any hobbies?" I asked .

He shrugged, "What self-made billionaire doesn't?"

I laughed, "You really are brash, you know that?"

"I have to be in my line of work. Otherwise I'd be seen as weak, and that wouldn't do when I'm trying to bargain down the cost of some pompous CEO's overpriced syndicate that they're averse to merchandising, now would it?" He smirked.

I rolled my eyes, "I guess not. But you didn't answer my question."

He sighed, "You could say I have my share of very expensive hobbies."

"Are you going to tell me what they are?"

"Aside from flying, I'll give you one."

"Why just one?" I wondered. "What, are they considered taboo, or something?"

His face remained serious as he mulled something over in his head, "Or something."

Now, I was intrigued, but I wasn't about to push for more than he was willing to give at the moment. I'd got him willing to reveal something about his personal life, and that was a triumph all of it's own.

"Well?" I prodded. "What's the hobby?"

"Base jumping," he answered simply while looking straight ahead.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Base jumping?" He nodded. "As in jumping off of a cliff type of base jumping?"

He chuckled, "As opposed to what?"

"I don't know. I just wasn't expecting it, is all." I smiled. "Why base jumping? Are you some sort of an adrenalin junkie?"

He let out a short laugh, "No." He then appeared thoughtful for a moment before decidedly responding, "It's just... _freeing_."

* * *

The flight progressed and I continuously gazed out the windows, our conversation having trailed off as I got lost in my own thoughts. I noticed that the natural desert landmarks were an especially beautiful sight to behold, such as the Red Rock Canyon, just west of the city. The giant red rock formations that were illuminated by the setting sun made me wish I had my camera so that I could forever capture the moment.

By the time the bright lights of Las Vegas was within our line of sight, night had fallen and surrounded us with darkness. I couldn't help but wonder how he was able to tell that we had been heading in the right direction, but then decided that if he was as experienced a pilot as he claimed, then he knew exactly where we were going, especially with the built-in compass on the dash.

As we grew closer to the city, I couldn't help but become hypnotized by the sight. It was awe-inspiring and reminded me of an amusement park that I used to visit with my parents with all of the different colored lights and attractions. The Eiffel Tower in particular was especially beautiful with it's golden halo lighting up the strip.

"It's really something, isn't it?" He asked, his face softly illuminated by the lights on the instrument panel, interrupting me from my enthralled state.

"Yes," I breathed as we flew over the well-lit buildings below and I noticed that we'd begun to decrease our altitude. "Where are we landing?"

"There's a helicopter pad on the top of my building," _Of course, there was._ "But we'll only be stopping there for a couple of minutes." My head snapped over to him in surprise and he outright laughed at whatever puzzled expression I wore on my face. "What? Did you think I wasn't going to feed you? That I was just going to bring you up to my suite and ravish you before sending you on your way?" My silence was answer enough, and he scoffed. "Darlin', that's just not the kind of man I am."

" _Juliet Alpha_ , please come in, over." The disembodied voice of air traffic control interrupted my reverie as I wondered about what kind of man he really was. Jasper answered, sounding as composed and dauntless as ever while we flew amongst the buildings. Looking ahead, I could spot the tall building with the helipad positioned on top. The word "Palms" was decaled on the top of the resort, as well as on it's sister building, which I assumed was the hotel and casino portion.

The helicopter began to slow and hover as Jasper gently set us down on top of the tarmac. He switched off the ignition and the rotor blades slowed as they quieted down until all I could hear was the sound of my own breathing.

Jasper removed his headphones and reached across to pull mine off, as well.

"We're here," he stated softly as he brushed the strands of hair that had fallen out of my face when he took off my headphones. He was looking at me with that same intensity he always had when he looked at me, his face half in shadow and half in the bright white light from the landing lights. I found it ironic as this was the way he had become portrayed in my mind, consisting of both white light and dark shadows.

Finally, he clenched his jaw and unfastened his seatbelt, reaching over to do the same with mine, his face stopping only inches away from my own.

"You don't have to do this, you know?" His tone was completely sincere, full of compassion, and yet desperation still seemed to managed to sift through. His declaration took me by surprise, and I took in a deep breath.

"I'm not exactly the kind of girl who's easily forced into doing things she doesn't want to do, Jasper. I'm here because I want to be." As I speak the words without breaking his stare, I can feel their conviction, and if I'm being completely honest with myself, I realize that I'd probably do anything for this man, this man who was still so much a stranger to me, and yet I felt as though I had known him a lifetime. /

Jasper eyed me warily for several seconds before nodding and eases his way tactfully to the door of the chopper and opens it. He jumped out, waiting for me to follow, and takes my hand as I descend down on to the tarmac.

The wind blew wildly through my long dark curls, and I couldn't help myself as I gripped his arm for stability, feeling anxious about the fact that I was nearly sixty stories up above the ground. Sensing my anxiety, he placed one hand over mine and linked our hands with one another as he pulled me tightly against him with one arm curled protectively around my waist, grounding me to him.

"Let's go," he shouted above the noise of the wind, guiding me towards an elevator and, after tapping a number into a keypad, the doors opened. The relief I felt as the warmer air greeted me caused my tense frame to relax as the doors closed behind us and Jasper tapped in another code into the interior keypad. Then, the doors closed and the car began to descend.

Moments later, we're in a darkly-painted foyer. In the center lay a dark wood table with a beautiful, classy bouquet of different kinds of white flowers, from roses to baby's breath. The walls held a framed mirror, as well as an original Dali painting that was worth a fortune all on it's own.

Making his way around the table, he opened a set of double doors, and I was immediately entranced by the tall thirty-foot ceilings surrounded by glass walls that framed a million dollar view of the city. The theme from the foyer was carried into the room on the other walls and furniture, while the wet bar with a flat screen television at the far end featured in the hardwood floors into it's design. I also noticed a gas burning fireplace with glass doors housed inside a nearby wall, as well as a built-in darkwood bookcase near the stairs./

"Wow," I mused as I moved further into the room. "This is stunning. And huge."

He shrugged, "About 27,000 square feet, give or take." Of course he had the entire floor to himself. "I'll give you the full tour another time." He smirked and held out his hand. "Come with me. I have something for you."

I tentatively reached out and intertwined our fingers, allowing him to lead me up a flight of stairs and down several hallways before stopping at a pair of double doors. He pushed them open to reveal a sitting room that gave way into what appeared to be the master bedroom, which was just as stunning as the rest of the rooms I'd seen thus far. A low giant king-sized bed was the centerpiece of a very masculine room, using a mixture of dark woods and cream colored linens as the base underneath more warm, earthy tones. There were several adjoining double doors inside the rooms, as well as a glass wall that revealed a view out onto the patio with a sliding glass door that led to the outside. One of sets led to a gigantic walk-in closet, while the other, no doubt, led to the master bath.

However beautiful the room was, that was not what caught the majority of my attention, because sitting on the bed were several multiple-sized white boxes wrapped in large black ribbon.

"For you," he gestured to the boxes, leading me over to them.

I looked up at him skeptically as I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. He released my hand to allow me to pull tentatively at the ribbon and open my gifts, insisting that I open the long rectangular one first. My heart was pounding the whole time, not accustomed to receiving what would no doubt be an extravagant set of gifts going by the look of the delicately wrapped boxes. I wasn't sure what I would find as I carefully eased the lid off and shifted the black tissue paper aside. Inside revealed a stunning forest green Vera Wang cocktail dress, and I gasped, my hand covering my mouth in awe.

"Do you like it?" He inquired, his outward appearance remaining calm and collected while his eyes showed an expectant type of hopefulness that caused my heart to clench. He reminded me of a little boy who was giving a gift to someone for the first time, worried about what they're thinking, while intermittently preparing himself for whatever their reactions might be. "I chose the green because I knew it would bring out those amazing eyes of yours."

"It's so beautiful," I admitted, running my fingers gently along the silky fabric, afraid that I would somehow ruin it, before looking back up at him in wonder. "But why?"

He shrugged, acting as though it were no big deal while his eyes contradicted his nonchalant pretense."Since I never gave you much notice regarding our dinner plans and it was unlikely that you'd have packed a dress with you to the compound, I figured I'd improvise."

"It's too much," I sighed wistfully. "I could have stopped by the condo for something more appropriate for whatever it is that you have planned for tonight." Normally, I wasn't very fashion-forward and had to use Kate as my personal fashion guru, however, I wasn't blind when it came to the beauty of this particular dress.

He shook his head, immediately dismissing the idea. "You're worth it." Picking up the dress by it's straps, he held it out to me. "Here. Try it on."

Taking in a deep breath, I tentatively took it from him before slipping into the master ensuite, hesitating only to gawk at the giant marble shower and separate jacuzzi tub. I could imagine myself soaking for hours in a tub like that with mountains of bubbles piled all around me.

Shaking my head, I sighed wistfully and unzipped the side of the dress where the zipper was cleverly hidden, carefully placing it on the double-vanity sink as I changed out of my current ensemble in favor of the dress.

As I finally pulled up the zipper, I couldn't help the smile that grew on my face as I turned to examine my reflection. The dress was perfect and fit like a glove, coming down to just below my mid-thigh. It was then that I began to wonder how Jasper had gotten my dress size, but then firmly decided that I'd probably be better off not knowing.

Jasper turned just as I stepped back into the room, his appreciation visibly showing on his handsome face. His eyes dramatically darkened with lust as he took me in, and he sucked in a deep breath, causing me to smile while a light blush coated my cheeks.

"Wow, you look...beautiful, perfect," he corrected himself.

"Thank you," I murmured as I sashayed over to him with my bare feet when he held out his hand, beckoning me to him.

"Open the rest," he urged me, moving to stand behind me, placing a feather light kiss, as well as a hand on each of my shoulders.

I smiled up at him from over my shoulder, and pulled at the ribbon of a smaller box, revealing a pair of stunning green four and a half inch pumps to match my new dress.

I picked up the left shoe and held it up where, upon a closer inspection, I found that these, too, were exactly my size.

"Okay, now I have to know. How did you know my sizes?"

He hummed, brushing all of my hair over the opposite shoulder so he had better access to my neck. "Being the boss has its advantages."

 _I should have known._ I had provided all of my sizes when I filled out my information in order obtain my company uniform. And that would mean he likely had read, or at the very least had access to not only my personal information, but the results from my physical and psych tests, as well as the extensive background check his company ran. Sure, I had read up on him through the links that Kate had sent me, but that information was provided _by_ him _for_ the public. The stuff that he read was not for public knowledge and was personal and private. I had been reluctant as it was to approve the background check, but did so only with the knowledge that it was not going to be accessible by others.

"That has to breach some kind of privacy laws, or, at the very least, is listed somewhere as a severe misuse of employee documentation." I argued.

I could feel his self-righteous smirk against my pulse point. "The information I read was freely given to me."

"Not to _you_ \- to your _company_ ," I corrected him.

"The company that I own," he dismissed, "Same difference."

I rounded on him, feeling my temper begin to rise. "That's not the point!" I snapped. "That information was given in order to approve my application for employment. Not for your own personal misuse!" I crossed my arms defiantly over my chest, watching Jasper as he studied me, his expression not giving me any clues as to what he was thinking.

"You're angry," he observed.

I scoffed, "Of course I'm angry." I ran a hand through my hair in an attempt to calm myself down. "Jasper, you violated my privacy, and that's not okay with me."

He seemed genuinely perplexed at my anger as he thoughtfully cocked his head. "So, you do not like the dress? I could have them returned for something more pleasing to you?"

It took everything in me not to lash out at his inability to digest what I was trying to say. "You're not getting this!"

I took a step back, unable to think clearly with my proximity to him. It was like no one has ever called him out on this kind of shit before. But, then again, maybe that really was the case.

Taking in a deep breath, I tried another tactic. "Listen, from now on, I would prefer it if you would come to me the next time you wanted to know something. I'm just not comfortable with you going through my personal records every time you have a question."

He slowly nodded, "I understand."

I sighed with relief. "Good." A smile began to tug at my lips. "And, for the record, I meant it when I told you I loved the dress, and the shoes. You have great taste in women's clothing."

"Actually, I can't take full credit for that." He admitted with a smirk. "I had Wheeler pick everything up for me since he was in the city already."

"Wheeler?" I inquired as to the identity of the man.

"Felix Wheeler," he clarified, "My driver. I gave him the general description as to what I wanted and he went out to get it."

"Ah," I nodded, then mimicked his smirk. "Well, both you and Felix have very good taste."

"Why thank you." He picked up the final box and handed it to me. Inside, I found a dark wrap and a matching clutch, both designer, once again.

"They're perfect." Placing them on the bed, I wrapped both my arms around his neck, initiating intimacy between us for the first time as I pressed my lips against his in a chaste kiss. "Thank you, Jasper."

A self-satisfied smirk appeared once again. "If this is how you will react every time I buy you something, I will have to do it more often."

I laughed, "No, you don't need to buy me things. It's the thought that counts."

He grinned, "Then I will have to start being very _very_ thoughtful."

More laughter followed his remark, and yet I couldn't help but wonder what we were doing? What we were saying? This relationship, or whatever it was, wasn't supposed to last beyond tonight. Right?

The thought was sobering, and I went to sit on the bed.

"What's wrong?" He asked, picking up on the change in my mood.

I shook my head, "Nothing. Can you help me put on the shoes?"

"Of course," he obliged, dropping to one knee to assist me with the straps.

I stood, rising to my feet when he finished, picking up the clutch and wrap after I slipped some of my things over from my purse.

The shoes were surprisingly comfortable and easy to walk in, which was a relief in of itself. I generally dressed for comfort, a complete opposite to Kate who would wear a pair of six inch heels to the gym if she had the choice.

"All set?" He asked, holding out an arm to escort me.

I nodded, looping my arm through his. "All set."

 **A/N:** **Another Cliffhanger! Hehe! Hope you enjoyed the 20K word update! So, in this chapter I focused more on Jasper and Bella as he finally gets her to agree to one night with him! What do you guys think will happen during that night? Will it bring them closer or push them further apart? Any thoughts on the helicopter ride? What do you think Jasper is trying to guard from his past that he won't talk about? We also got to learn a little bit more about Jasper as a person (who he is now). And, finally, who is Maria, and will she be a problem? REVIEW!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note!**

 **To see more, go to my FF and Wattpad pages under the penname:**

 **Xo Bella Italiana oX**

 **If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page! Also, I am still accepting Twilight stories that involve Jasper/any female leads or Bella/selected male leads if anyone is looking for a Beta Reader. I will accept OC characters as well depending on the other lead character. I will also except other genres depending on the characters and the plot.**

 **PM me for details!**  
 **-** _Bella'Xo_

 **Xo Bella Italiana oX**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**. **All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.**

 **Life's a Gamble**

 **A/N:** **This story is a completely** **original** **storyline and plot, only using Stephanie Meyer's Twilight characters that we all know and love. Everything else is completely mine. I really hope you guys enjoy it and give me your honest feedback.**

 **REMINDER** **: If anyone is interested in viewing** **PICTURES** **from each of the chapters (of a scene with the characters and their surroundings; including Jasper romance) check out the stories on my Wattpad page! The link is located on my profile!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! Enjoy! - Bella'Xo**

* * *

 _ **Previously...  
(Bella's POV)**_

 _More laughter followed his remark, and yet I couldn't help but wonder what we were doing? What we were saying? This relationship, or whatever it was, wasn't supposed to last beyond tonight. Right?_

 _The thought was sobering, and I went to sit on the bed._

 _"What's wrong?" He asked, picking up on the change in my mood._

 _I shook my head, "Nothing. Can you help me put on the shoes?"_

 _"Of course," he obliged, dropping to one knee to assist me with the straps._

 _I stood, rising to my feet when he finished, picking up the clutch and wrap after I slipped some of my things over from my purse._

 _The shoes were surprisingly comfortable and easy to walk in, which was a relief in of itself. I generally dressed for comfort, a complete opposite to Kate who would wear a pair of six inch heels to the gym if she had the choice._

 _"All set?" He asked, holding out an arm to escort me._

 _I nodded, looping my arm through his. "All set."_

* * *

 **Chapter 5 :** **Letting the Chips Fall  
(Bella's POV)**

As Jasper and I exited the Palm's Place, I immediately noticed a limo idling in front of the building with a large man dressed in an all-black suit standing in front of the back door. Noticing our approach, he immediately took a step forward and nodded politely to both Jasper and I.

"Mr. Whitlock," he greeted his boss.

Jasper nodded in return. "Wheeler, I'd like for you to meet Ms Isabella Swan," he gestured to me, his hand on my lower back sending tingles straight down my spine.

"Ms. Swan." The large man turned to acknowledge me respectfully, his serious expression unchanging behind his dark eyes and shaved black hair to match his attire.

"Felix," I gave him a friendly smile. "Thank you so much for picking out my dress. As I told Jasper, you have great taste."

Only the shift in his eyes and the minute twitch of his lips gave way to his amused, yet humbled response, the rest of his stance remaining rigid and unaffected. "It was my pleasure, Ms. Swan. You look lovely."

I shyly thanked him, and, as I looked him over and noticed the indiscreet side arm that was hidden away inside it's holster. I began to chuckle internally at the thought of this mountain of a man with his stoic demeanor in a designer dress shop, not to mention having been the lucky sales associate to have helped him. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during that exchange.

"Let's get going, shall we?" Jasper motioned to the car, interrupting my private joke with myself.

"Yes, sir," Felix once again nodded and stepped back to open the door before Jasper helped me into the back seat.

"Thank you," I gave him a small smile as I began to slide across the fine leather.

Jasper slid in behind me not a second later, the door closing behind him as Felix made his way around the back of the limo to the driver's side.

"So, are you going to tell me where we're going or is it a secret?" I asked, crossing my legs over my knees and turning towards him.

He wrapped his arm around the back of my seat and inched closer so that our thighs were now touching. "We are having dinner at a restaurant in one of the casino's I own."

"Oh? You own more than one?" I wondered.

He nodded, "Two here and one in Atlantic City. The restaurant where we're eating is more of an upscale joint, so I felt that the dress was necessary under the circumstances."

"Wow," I murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I was beginning to feel out of place with this man, who so far out of my league, and we might as well have been on separate planets.

Jasper hummed, pulling me closer into his side as he placed a kiss on what I'd come to learn was his favorite spot on me, which was directly over my pulse point and never failed to send shivers down my spine. The way that this man affected me was out of this world, and I somehow knew that he would forever ruin me for other men.

"I love how responsive you are to me," he whispered as he nuzzled his nose against my neck. "I haven't even touched you yet, and I can practically sense how wet you are."

I tilted my head to give him better access as he placed several open-mouthed kisses upward before finally settling behind my ear as he began running his fingertips gently over my collar bone.

"It's nearly impossible not to be affected when you've discovered one of the most sensitive spots on my body." I sucked in a breath as he trailed his fingers downward and over the tops of my cleavage.

" _One_ of your spots?" I could feel his lips turning up into a smirk against my skin. "And just how many of these do you have?"

"Uh huh," I chastised him with a saucy, yet playfully impish smirk. "That's just one of the things that you'll have to discover all on your own."

He chuckled, "Well, then I will just have to make it my mission to find each and every one of those sensitive spots." I felt him make his way back up to my ear. "And I can guarantee you that I will point out dozens more that you didn't even know existed."

I sucked in a breath as he took my earlobe in between his teeth and gently bit down, causing just enough pain to become pleasurable while ghosting his tongue just along the outside. "Is that a threat?"

"Hell no, Kitten. That's a promise."

I reached behind him, gripping the hair at the base of his neck, his words sending an excited thrill of anticipation through me.

"I don't know how I'm going to be able to wait until we get back to the penthouse," he breathed. "You have me so hard as it is, already. I feel like if you rub against me the wrong way, I'm going to lose myself, and that's not an easy thing for a man like me to admit."

Smirking to myself, I tested his theory and reached to boldly take a hold of him in my hand over his slacks, surprising myself by how long and thick he was. Jasper hissed through his teeth, his hips bucking off the seat as his hand snapped down from my waist to grab a hold of my wrist.

"Naughty girl," he tsked, removing my grip from his member, and just in time, too, because we began to pull up in front of the Whitlock Belfry Resort and Casino off the main strip.

Jasper released me from his hold and I began straightening out my dress while he pushed back his hair where I had it by the roots.

"Are you ready?" He asked as Felix stepped out of the front, which, thankfully, had been closed off during the drive here, and made his way around to the back of the limo.

I nodded, and he turned as the door opened and stepped out before holding out his hand to assist me as I climbed out of the back seat. He was such a gentleman when it came to things like this, and, to be honest, it kind of threw me off. I wasn't used to the suave treatment from a man, which only served to demonstrate that I had been dating all the wrong types of men, even though I didn't need this sort of gesture to show me that.

As I stepped out of the limousine, I looked up at the fifty-sum floor establishment with wide eyes. Having lived in Vegas for nearly a year, I still hadn't made much of an effort to explore the strip, regardless of how much Kate had pestered me to do so. I wasn't much of a gambler, nor a drinker, and I hated shopping, so, aside from the clubs I rarely visited, I had no reason to be here. Besides, work usually kept me busy when I'd worked at the only job I'd had since graduating from college. Smith & Barnes Pharmaceuticals had kept me busy during the short time that I'd been an employee, and it wasn't until now that I began to regret the long hours I had been putting in there instead of going out and living my life.

Jasper kept hold of my hand, intertwining our fingers as we made our way into the resort, and I openly gawked at our elegant surroundings. From the second we walked in, it was like we had traveled across the world to Italy. The floors were made out of cobblestone, resembling the old streets of Venice, complete with fountain blocks made from Kirmenjak stone. The walls and shops were disguised as old fashioned buildings with plant life sprouting up everywhere. To top it off, the large indoor city was filled with waterways and bridges with gondolas being driven by gondolier's and their long,thin oars as they punted their passengers around the lagoon. What made it even more spectacular, was that there was a bridge built into the side of the far wall, and if you were punted underneath of it, it would lead you to the outside, even though it already felt like we were due to the ceilings expertly painted to resemble a partly cloudy day with a bright blue sky.

"Jasper, this is amazing!" I was seeing parts of Vegas that I hadn't known existed in my new home.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You've never been here before?"

I shook my head, "I haven't really been on the strip all that much."

"How is that possible?" He inquired as he began to lead me through the makeshift city.

I shrugged, "I never had a reason to."

"Well, we'll have to change that," he smirked, guiding me towards an empty gondola. "Shall we?"

I peered down at the long water vehicle, equipped with a wide, padded seat that looked to fit at least four people comfortably, then looked back up into his inquisitive eyes and nodded, "Sure."

Jasper grinned and turned to the gondolier. "Prendaci durante un giro dei canali navigabili, quindi cadaci fuori a _La Bella Fetta di Italia_ per cena, per favore." He pulled out a bill and slipped it to the man dressed in a primitive gondolier's uniform. "La signora ed io non devono essere disturbati in qualsiasi circostanza."

"Naturalmente, grazie, signore." The man responded with a smile and then gestured for us to get in.

"You speak Italian?" I wondered once we were settled inside the gondola.

He nodded, "I speak several languages. It's very helpful when it comes to doing business around the world."

"I can imagine," I responded thoughtfully, "I'm not bilingual, so I don't speak any languages aside from English. What did you tell him?" I nodded back towards the gondolier as he pushed us off of the dock and into the makeshift canal.

He wrapped his arm around the back of our seat, as he had done in the limo, and pulled me closer to him. "Nothing of consequence. I only asked him to take us on a tour of the waterways before dropping us off at the restaurant for dinner."

I narrowed my eyes. "Uh huh, and the last part?" I prompted him.

Surprise colored his features before a devious smirk pulled at his lips. "Are you sure you don't speak Italian?"

"Positive." I grinned.

He reached up and stroked my cheek with the backs of his fingers, tracing them down to my chin as he tilted my face up to his and ghosted his lips over mine as he spoke. "I requested that we not be disturbed under any circumstances." He, then, pressed his lips down harder onto mine, making my head spin inside his mind-blowing kiss that never failed to cause my insides to flutter.

Jasper's establishment left me speechless; the more I saw of it, the more impressed I became. I'd discovered that the tunnel that led to the outside opened up to a tour of tropical plants and buildings that you would find around the Mediterranean Sea and the Amalfi Coast. It was like getting a tour of all the different settings and locations in Italy. From a distance, I noticed a pool that was lit up for the night with crowds of people partying around the poolside bar and grill.

Another tunnel led us back inside and I found that this portion of the tour put us in a replica of Rome. They even had a smaller model of the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, as well as the Piazza del Popolo. Jasper told me that the racetrack was built to look like the Colosseum, and encouraged me to check it out sometime during a race.

"Are all of your casinos and resorts like this?" I asked as we passed through a large, well-lit tunnel that was perfectly designed to look like you were walking through the Sistine Chapel.

"No," he answered as he traced my knuckles with his fingers."They all have different themes, some not so grand as this one and without the outdoor feel and landmarks. Some are just regular hotels and resorts that function as they're meant to and are successful on their own."

I could only imagine that everything that this man put his name on would be thriving. He was brilliant in everything he did.

* * *

After about forty-five minutes in the gondola, we pulled up in front of a large restaurant titled _La Bella Fetta di Italia._ A large crowd hung around the outside, seemingly unable to get a table right away. Jasper, however, just led us through the crowd and straight inside to the maitre d', who seemed to immediately recognize him from behind his podium dressed in a three-piece suit and tie.

"Signore Whitlock!" He spoke in a heavy Italian accent. "What a pleasant surprise! Will you and your lady be joining us tonight?"

" _Si,_ Alberto. Some place quiet, _prego._ " Jasper responded.

"Very good, Signore. Right this way." He motioned us to follow him, much to the displeasure of the other patrons who were still waiting for a table. But no one dare say anything, as one look at Jasper told the men that he was a preferred guest. As for the women, they were too busy swooning at the sight of him - not that I blamed them. However, I didn't miss the dirty looks that they were shooting in my direction.

The maitre d' led us to a quiet table near the back of the dimly lit, old world, high class, italian restaurant that was set against a side window, providing a beautiful view of the makeshift Italian city. Despite it's outside appearance, I found that the inside of the restaurant was very large and had a staircase that led to a downstairs, as well. I also noticed that everyone was dressed up rather nicely and silently thanked Jasper for the change of clothes he provided me with via his gift when we landed at his 59th floor penthouse.

"Will this do?" The maitre d' inquired, gesturing to the beautifully set table covered by a cream colored table cloth and crystal wine glasses.

" _Si, grazie,_ Alberto." Jasper nodded at the man dismissively before escorting me over to our table and pulling out my chair.

"Thank you," I smiled up at him after I sat down. He only smiled back in return and took a seat in his own chair across from mine.

We didn't have to wait long for our waitress to appear and I'd barely had time to reach for my menu before she was standing before us in a short black skirt, white button down blouse and an olive green tie.

" _Buonasera_ , Mr. Whitlock," she seemed to only have eyes for him as she spoke. "My name is Gabriella. I'm going to be your _cameriera di bar,_ or waitress, for this evening."

I could feel my irrational jealousy at our young brown haired, doe-eyed waitress beginning to spark to life - that is, until I looked over at Jasper and saw that he only had eyes for me, regardless of the fact that she was looking directly at him as she spoke.

"Would you and the lady prefer _naturale_ or _gassata_ water with your meal?" She asked, undeterred with her flirtatious smile never faltering.

The blank look on my face told him that I had no idea what she was asking. I mean, water was water, wasn't it?

"Would you like regular or sparkling water?" He translated for me, his lips twitching in quiet amusement at my inexperience at dining in high class restaurants.

"Oh, um, regular is fine, thanks," I did my best to keep the embarrassing blush from rising beneath my skin, though I wasn't sure it was doing much good.

"Same," he agreed without looking away from my face.

"And would you like _bianco, rosso or rosato_ wine with your meal?" She asked.

As before, I only had a vague idea on what she was asking, though it was more than before.

Again, Jasper translated her question, dumbing it down for me. "Do you drink white, red, or rose wine?" He inquired, his eyes still on mine.

"Either is fine." To be honest, I didn't know much about wine. I wasn't a big drinker, and, when I did, it was never to get drunk. I had learned that lesson the hard way back in high school, paying the price for Kate's constant desire to party while dragging me along with her.

"The lady and I will have a bottle of the _Falletto Bruno Giacosa Riserva Barolo DOCG_ ," He told her as he very briefly looked up at her for the first time before his focus was back on me. Peeking at the wine list, I realized that none of them had prices labeled next to them, and internally cringed. Whatever this wine was, it was expensive, just like the rest of their bottles.

The surprise in the waitress' eyes verified that for me as her smile dropped a bit and shock colored her features, only to be quickly replaced with a far less flirty one. " _Si, Signore_. I'll go ahead and place that order for Stefano to bring out, along with your _grissini_ and bread."

I was about to object and order an iced tea or something until I remembered what Riley told me when he came back from a shoot in Italy. He explained that real world Italians typically drink only water and wine with their meals, and that sugary drinks, such as soda or iced tea are considered an insult to the taste buds. He said that not even the young children drank cold milk with their meals, so I decided to keep my mouth shut and just go with it.

"What's _grissini_?" I asked, pronouncing the word slowly, once she was out of earshot.

I was positive that I'd probably mispronounced and butchered the word when he let the amusement show in his features. " _Grissini_ is Italian for breadsticks."

I cocked my head slightly to the side. "They serve both bread and breadsticks?"

He nodded, "Different types and textures of bread."

Despite the effort, I could feel my face heating up under my skin. "God, you probably think I am such a child for not knowing any of this, already."

A small smile remained on his handsome face. "Actually, I find it quite adorable."

I quirked a dubious brow. "Adorable?"

Again, he nodded. "You are so smart and driven in everything you've demonstrated to me thus far. I find it gratifying that I am able to teach you new things like this, and the way you go about learning is adorable. Besides, I don't expect you, or anyone else for that matter, to fully understand the proper etiquette while dining in a high-class italian restaurant, much less understand everything that they're asking you."

I looked down and smiled. "Well, that's a relief."

Picking up my menu, I began to scan the entrees, only to find that they were all elegantly written in Italian with extremely high prices. I was far from materialistic or high maintenance and felt rather uncomfortable with Jasper spending this type of money on me just for a meal. However, I didn't want to insult him or his resort, which he obviously took great pride in, so, again, I kept my mouth shut and reminded myself that this was only for one night.

"Would you like me to order for you?" He asked when he noticed my dilemma with the menu.

"Please," I agreed with an appreciative smile as I closed the leather bound spread, placing it off to the side where it could be picked up.

Just then, a dark brown haired man around my age, who I assumed to be Stefano, appeared at our table with the bottle of wine and handed it to Jasper to inspect. At his nod, Stefano uncorked the bottle and placed the cork on the table, and, once again, after examining the bottom, Jasper nodded. The busboy then took his wine glass and poured some for him to inspect before handing it back to him. He began swirling the wine in the glass before leaning in to smell it as Stefano waited patiently.

" _Questo farà,"_ Jasper mumbled in Italian as he placed his glass back on the table in front of him, seemingly approving the wine before Stefano picked up my glass, giving me an appraising smile, and poured enough in my glass so that it was just below the halfway mark, and then added more to Jasper's to mimic mine.

"Thank you," I smiled at the busboy, whose smile widened.

"It's no problem," he responded before stepping off to the side and coming back with a basket full of different breads and what I now knew was called _grissini._ He also brought a small serving of olives and cheese that he'd referred to as the _aperitivo._

 _"_ Since you aren't very familiar with formal Italian dining, I should warn you not to eat the bread until the food arrives. It's their custom to use it as a tool to soak up extra sauce from your meal." He explained once the busboy disappeared.

I nodded thoughtfully. "My step brother, Riley, went to Italy for a shoot once, and he told me some of their dining customs. Some of them are pretty bizarre."

"Well, the Italians see their cooking as a form of art and take offense to those who try to 'taint the flavor'." He clarified

"Have you been to there?"

"To Italy?" I nodded. "I have. Though my parents and I were born in the states, my family is Italian and we still practice many of their customs. I also have friends who've spent the majority of their life living there." I listened intently, soaking in any personal information that he was willing to provide, being such a private man.

It was then that Gabriella appeared back at our table, looking to Jasper expectantly. "Are you ready to order, _signore?"_

" _Si,_ " He nodded, and proceeded to order our meal, but then surprised me at his final instruction. "This is important. Make sure that there aren't any nuts in anything."

" _Si,_ of course, _signore._ I will tell _il chef_." She dutifully nodded before disappearing from the table, leaving Jasper and I alone, once again.

I studied him with narrowed, placing my chin on the backs of my knuckles. "Did you request that there not be any nuts in the meal for my sake, or yours?" I demanded to know.

He cocked his head slightly to the side, meeting my challenge head on. "You're allergic, are you not?"

"Yes, but, again, you got this information from my employment records."

He nodded once. "I did."

I sighed, completely exasperated and full of frustration, knowing that it would be pointless to revisit an already closed subject, but still feeling the need to make a point. "While I appreciate you looking out for my health and safety, next time, I would prefer it if you would ask me if I had any allergies before you order, rather than snooping through my private documents."

His lips pulled up into that cocky smile of his. "So, there _will_ be a next time."

I rolled my eyes, doing my best to hide my smile. "You know what I mean."

Before he could respond, Stefano reappeared with the antipasti, and my mouth watered at the elegant display of bright red tomatoes, basil and garlic that created a delicious looking plate of bruschetta. The way that the olive oil was drizzled over the plate gave it a look of sophistication and style. I could definitely understand why the Italian's referred to their cooking as an art form.

"You said your step brother was on a photo shoot in Italy?" He asked, picking up a piece of the bruschetta and placing it on his plate.

I smiled to myself at the thought of Riley and how much I missed him. "He's a photographer and gets paid to travel the world to take pictures for his clients."

"Was he always into photography?"

"Yes," I answered as I bit into a slice of the bruschetta, the tomato juice spilling over my tongue as I chewed. It really was delicious. "My mother bought him his first camera in his early teens and he has been obsessed with it ever since. I can't tell you how many pictures he took of me since."

"Sounds like he and Jane would get along, then." He mused before continuing. "You seem to care about him a great deal."

"How can you tell?"

He nodded, reaching across the table to brush away some of the tomato juice from the corner of my lip with the pad of his thumb. "It's in the way you smile when you talk about him."

I hummed, my smile growing a bit. "I really do. He was my rock growing up. I idolized him ever since he'd made the effort to take me under his wing, even before our parents got together. I was an only child whose father had just passed and since his dad and mine were best friends, he'd always come around when Phil came by to check on my mom nearly every week after the funeral."

"Phil's your stepfather?" He wondered.

I nodded, "Yes. They got married about two years after my dad died."

"That was very kind of him to have taken it upon himself to make sure that you and your mother were taken care of."

"I always thought so," I agreed. "We never had much money to begin with, and when it became just the two of us, my mom didn't know how she would get by. She refused to accept charity and neither her parents or my dads were well off either. So, she had to begin pulling extra shifts at the diner, and Phil would look after me, or Kate's parents if he had to work."

"What does he do?"

"He's the chief of police, now, but back then, he was just a deputy." I rehashed. "It wasn't until my dad's life insurance came in, as well as money the military sent to our family that she was able to cut back."

"Is she still a waitress?"

I shook my head. "After the money wasn't an issue anymore, she finished her degree online and became an accountant."

"Is there a reason you chose science as a career?" He asked. "It's been my experience that people in that field usually follow in a parent's footsteps. Obviously, it's not the case in your situation."

"Well, you're not completely wrong," I admitted. "My parents met when they were in college and my dad was going for a degree in science. He just never got to finish because of me. Rather than stay in school and struggle, he joined the military."

"So, you felt you needed to finish it for him?" He concluded.

I shrugged, "I would have chosen science anyway." A small smile formed as I remembered my dad taking me on trips to the local science museum and putting together our homemade experiments when he was on leave. "It was something the two of us shared. I guess it sort of stayed with me, even after he was gone."

He nodded emphatically. "Yes, things that have an emotional tie to us have a way of doing that sometimes."

"That, they do," I agreed as Stefano came by with what he and Jasper referred to as the _primo_ coarse. He said that the dish was called _Zesty Spaghetti a la Puttanesca_ , which was basically spaghetti with garlic, anchovy fillets, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers and olive oil with a pinch of hot chile flakes, brown sugar and sea salt.

"What about you?" I wondered as I twirled some spaghetti onto my fork.

He looked confused at my question. "What about me?"

"What do your parents do? Did you follow in their footsteps?" I had briefly read about them online, thanks to Kate, but I wanted to hear it from him.

His lips twitched in a smile and then he shook his head. "No," he answered briefly, having nothing more to say on the subject.

"But your parents are still independently wealthy?" I pressed, unwilling to let him slide with such a short answer.

"Yes. My mother's family came from money for several generations. I don't believe she's ever worked a day in her life. Instead, she spends her time organizing events and hosting charities and such." He relented.

"And your father?"

"He's a surgeon now, just like his father before him."

"He's never pressured you to get into medicine?" I wondered, knowing that there were many types of parents who pushed their children into their chosen fields and wouldn't settle for anything less. Edward's father was like that and wasn't too happy when he'd chosen forensic science over the military. They don't even talk anymore because of it, and I knew it really bothered him more than he let on.

"No, I was lucky," Jasper answered. "Both of my parents were and are very supportive of what me and my siblings chose to do, as long as it makes us happy."

"Sounds like you had a very lovely childhood." I mused, slightly envious of the perfect picture he'd painted. I would give anything to have had my dad alive and with me for all those precious milestones.

Just then, something dark flashed in Jasper's eyes at my presumption, but it was gone as fast as it came. "My parents were very good to us," was all he said before taking a rather large gulp of his wine and placing it back on the table, stoically.

Deciding not to go down that route, I redirected the conversation to something far away from the topic of his personal life.

"The wine is delicious," I noted. "What kind is it, again?"

"It's a Barolo made from the Nebbiolo grape. It's called _Falletto di Bruno Giacosa Riserva_." He explained. "It's made in Piedmont, Italy."

"You seem to know a lot about wine." I observed.

He smiled as he toyed with the stem of his glass. "My grandparents own a vineyard in Napa. They've always drilled that sort of information into me at a young age."

"Are they from your mother's side?" I wondered, and he nodded.

"Like I said, my grandfather on my father's side was a doctor, though he's retired."

I greedily sucked up any little bit of information he told me about himself, knowing that it was a rare occurrence and willing to take what I could get. However, everything I'd learned thus far had fascinated me and I was dying to know more, but knew not to push.

The next course to come out was called the _secondo_ , which was also accompanied by the _cortorno_ course. The former was brought out on a rectangular plate with what they called _Chicken Scallopine_ with sage and fontina cheese. The latter was called _Patate al Forno_ , which was really baked potatoes that were peeled and thinly sliced with fresh chopped sage and basil, as well as rosemary, garlic, olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Again, it tasted incredible and the servings weren't over the top, so I wasn't getting full yet.

"So, tell me, I'm curious," I began as I twirled my fork absentmindedly. "You said that your success was all self-deduced?"

"Yes," he prompted me to continue, clearly wondering where I was going with my question.

"And, I have to admit, my roommate coerced me into reading some articles that you'd provided interviews for, and I noticed that you'd never revealed how you'd gotten started."

He nodded, his lips twitching in amusement. "This is true."

"So, how did you get your startup capital for Whitlock Enterprises?" I finally asked.

Jasper smirked deviously. "I didn't answer that question during the interviews for a reason," he responded cryptically.

"But you won't tell me." I reasoned, feeling slightly disappointed.

His smirk grew. "I didn't say that. But I will say that it is definitely a conversation for another venue." And, just like that, my hope was restored.

"Will you at least tell me how you did become so successful at what you do?"

"Why the fascination?" He countered, reclining in his chair.

I mimicked his smile and placed my chin in my palm. "It's not a fascination, just a curiosity."

Jasper leaned back in, his voice sultry and sexy as hell. "Didn't you know? Curiosity killed that cat."

My smile widened. "Then it's a good thing that I'm not a cat then, isn't it?"

He laughed. "Well, you sure are frisky like one."

I rolled my eyes impatiently. "You're avoiding the question."

He sighed, and relented, "I have a keen sense for reading those around me, as well as discovering their tells. It comes in handy when conducting a business deal, and hiring a driven, hard working, loyal staff. It's important to have those you can trust working in the higher positions around you, and employing highly motivated people in the more labor-induced positions. I have a knack for being able to grab the attention of those around me and knowing just what to say to sway them to my way of thinking, not to mention never taking no for an answer."

I scoffed. "You wouldn't know the meaning of the word if it bit you in the ass."

His arrogant smirk resurfaced at my dig. "Where would I be in this world if I did?"

"Less likely to get kneed in the groin, for one thing." I mumbled, thinking back on the way he had propositioned me the second time we met.

"Maybe so, but then I wouldn't have you sitting in front of me then, now, would I?"

"Touché," I picked up my wine glass and toasted him before taking a sip.

"It's all about taking chances, Isabella." He rephrased. "In every aspect of life."

My brow furrowed. "So, everything in life's a gamble?"

He nodded, "You just have to go for it, taking the bad with the good, and let the chips fall where they may."

I bit my lip thoughtfully, finally getting an understanding of how this man's inner mechanism ticked. He was a risk taker, and was willing to let things play out how they were meant to. However, I also knew that he was the type of man who very much relished control. I had trouble imagining a man like that doing something that wasn't strategically planned out, and I couldn't help but wonder where the two clashed. It was almost as if he were two entirely different men, who couldn't be more opposite; the risk taker and the control freak.

The next course that Stefano brought out was a fresh garden salad that he called the _insalata._ It was served with extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar. I knew from Riley that creamy salad dressings weren't used, not that I minded.

"So, your roommates..." he began as he picked up his fork to stab a piece of the lettuce.

"What about them?"

"You've been friends since you were young?"

"Kate and I have been friends since we were ten," I explained. "We both went to college at California State, and that's where we met Edward our freshman year. He was going for a degree in science, as well. We've been nearly inseparable ever since."

"And they followed you when you moved to Vegas?"

I nodded, "It was a mutual decision. Kate had wanted to move here since she was under the impression that it would be a good place to land a job for her chosen profession. Edward and I agreed, figuring that we could find work here, as well, and wanted to stay together."

"What does Edward do?"

"He works at a lab here in the city doing forensic science and assists the police on investigations, as well as other private clients."

"Sounds fascinating," he responded thoughtfully.

I shrugged. "Not quite my cup of tea, but he seems to love it, and that's what matters."

As Stefano came to take away our empty salad dishes, Gabriella appeared with what she referred to as the _formaggi e frutta_ course that was dedicated to cheese and fresh fruit. The cheese was a Piedmont cheese that was called _Robiola Piemonte_ and was a triple-creme type cheese made with a combination of cow, goat and sheep's milk. It practically melted on my tongue, along with the juice from the different kinds of fruit that accompanied the course.

Afterwards, the desert, which they had called the _Dolce_ was brought out. Gabriella had explained that it was Espresso Chocolate Mousse with Orange Mascarpone Whipped Cream. It came out in two fancy glass dishes with a thick, long stem holding it up.

"Wow," I practically moaned.

"I take it you're a big fan of chocolate?" Jasper inquired in delight.

"What woman isn't? It's like having an orgasm in my mouth!" I gushed as I ate another spoon full.

His eyes flashed at my comment. "Looks like I have some competition tonight."

I smirked. "I'd say you do, Mr. Whitlock."

Following the desert, Gabriella and Stefano brought us small cups of espresso, which were scalding hot to drink.

"I'm going to be bouncing off the walls if I drink this whole cup," I noted as I carefully blew across the top in an attempt to cool it down some.

"I'm sure I can come up with a way to help burn off that energy." He grinned ruefully.

I snorted, shaking my head at his antics. "You have a one track mind, you know that?"

"How can I not with you looking the way you do tonight, sitting across from me at this table?" He asked. "Remind me to give Wheeler a bonus for picking out that particular dress."

"You should give him one heck of a bonus for putting up with your shenanigans, Mr. Whitlock." I retaliated. "The man must have the patience of a saint."

He grinned. "Wheeler has been well compensated for putting up with my 'shenanigans'."

I guffawed, "He must be getting one hell of a compensation, then."

He smile widened. "Why do you feel the need to constantly pick on me? If I didn't know any better, I'd say that it was because you liked me."

"What are we in elementary school?" I quirked a brow, taking a small sip of my espresso.

His eyes twinkled, and I knew it was because he'd found my remark amusing. I was slowly learning to read the signs he didn't use words to say, and I couldn't help but to give myself a mental pat on the back, knowing that Jasper Whitlock was one hell of a hard man to accurately read.

"Hmm, I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with you on that," he began, "After all, our situation definitely wouldn't be appropriate playground antics, especially under the present circumstances. Besides, I'm not a big fan of games, and from what I've gathered, you're not either. Am I right?"

I chortled at his comment, gazing at his stunning features from over my espresso. "I guess it would depend on the game." I responded, taking another sip.

His eyebrow twitched over his baby blue hues that had immediately darkened at my remark, his jaw clenching. "Once again, you make a strong point."

"I'm sure you'll find I'll make a lot of those," I flirted back, making sure to showcase my bedroom eyes as the candlelight flickered back and forth over our faces, which were now only about a foot apart.

With spectacular timing, as per the usual since we'd arrived, Gabriella and Stefano arrived with what I learned was as the _ammazzacaffè_ , which Jasper explained was translated to 'coffee killer' and was a small glass of liqueur used to dull the taste of the strong coffee and espresso. "Is there _anything_ else I can get for you this evening, _Signore_ Whitlock?" She batted her eyes as she, once again, ignored my presence at the table. Her sole focus was on Jasper as she brushed against him like a lioness in heat, showcasing her blossoming assets to the leader of the pride.

Jasper finally turned, giving her the first full view of both sides of his face she'd seen, and her breath hitched as she'd finally gotten him to look at her with more than a brief dismissal. She was most likely taken aback by his striking features and intense gaze, which I assumed she hadn't been expecting. He said something to her in Italian as he handed her his card, which made her straighten excitedly and disappear towards the bar, but not before shooting a triumphant look in my direction.

Confused at their sudden exchange, I watched as she printed out the check and brought it back over to our table with an extra giddee-up in her step before stopping next to Jasper. Then, she leaned over his shoulder, practically shoving her cleavage in his face as she wrote what looked to be her full name and cell phone number on the receipt. He then took it and folded it up before placing it in his breast pocket, causing her to shoot me another gloating smirk. Jasper crooked his finger for her to lean in, and began whispering something into her ear.

As he spoke, her smile began to fade. Finally, having said whatever it was he needed to say to her, she dejectedly backed away two steps and peeked over at me before looking back at Jasper as if she were waiting for something and disinclined to do it.

" _Ora faccia, Gabriella e significhila!"_ He demanded in a hard tone, and she immediately looked back over at me.

"I'm very sorry for my behavior towards you this evening, _Signora_." Gabriella began in her heavy accent, looking completely crestfallen, which was a complete opposite to her snarky optimism only moments ago. "Should you ever decide to visit in the future, it will not happen again."

Surprised at the turnaround, I shot a look over at Jasper, who was watching the whole thing go down with a satisfied smile on his lips.

I looked back at the expectant waitress and nodded, my way of silently forgiving her for her treatment of me this evening, yet unsure what else to say. I had never been in a situation like this before, and was curious as to what Jasper had said to her to result in such a 180 degree attitude adjustment.

"That will be all, Gabriella," Jasper dismissed her with a curt nod.

" _Si,_ _Signore,_ " She nodded as her gaze once again flickered over to me, "Have a pleasant evening, _Signora._ "

She disbanded from our table as quickly as she could, immediately disappearing into the privacy of the kitchen.

When I turned to look back at Jasper, I found that he was no longer there, but had made his way around the table and was holding out my wrap for me to put back on.

"Thanks," I quickly smiled, standing up from my chair and allowed him to help wrap it around my shoulders. "What did you say to her to cause such a rescinding change to her demeanor?"

He smirked, the light in his eyes returning as he reached down to take my hand and guide me out of the restaurant.

"I simply told her that I didn't appreciate the way she had been treating my date and I all evening, and that if she didn't provide a genuine apology to you, she'd never get another job in this town again."

I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. "But she gave you her name and number?"

"So that I had her information, should she refuse." He clarified.

I smirked, shaking my head in amazement. "I would figure that you'd be used to that kind of stuff."

"Just because I'm used to it, doesn't mean I'm okay with it."

I didn't say anymore to that, reeling internally from his last comment. Where was the ruthless billionaire mogul who'd continuously propositioned me as if sex was nothing more than a business deal? Again, it was as if he were two different men altogether.

* * *

Jasper continued to hold my hand as we walked, and I noticed that just about every woman visibly turned to follow him with their gazes as we passed. I was surprised that he hadn't noticed the additional attention he was regularly gaining. Was it something that he was once again accustomed to? Or did he honestly not notice what a magnet he seemed to be to any woman within his line of sight?

We began to pass the entrance to the casino, the musical sounds of all the slot machines catching my attention, and I peeked inside, curious.

Jasper, of course, noticed my inquisitiveness, pulling us to a stop.

"You've never gambled before, have you?"

I scoffed. "No, I have!"

He looked down at me ambiguously. "Really?"

I shifted on my feet, unwilling to meet his penetrating stare. "Well, not in a casino, anyway." I chanced a look at him to see that he was smiling detrimentally. "What?"

"Come on," he began to tug me onto the casino floor. "We're going to go play a bit."

"What? No!" I dug my heels into the marble beneath me.

"Give me one reason why not?" He retaliated, challenging my willpower.

"Well, for one, I don't have any cash on me and I left my debit cards back at my condo. All I have is a credit card, and I don't think it could take the hit."

"Is that it? Because look who you're talking to, here, Kitten." He gestured to himself. "I'm one of the top twenty most wealthiest men in the world. I think I can handle it."

I huffed. "Yeah, and one of the top most egotistical, too."

He laughed at my dig and pulled my body against his right there in the middle of the walkway, immediately clouding my judgement, though, I had the feeling that he'd come to know what his close proximity did to me. "Why are you holding back? Let's go have a good time, together, and spend a little money."

I did my best to avoid eye contact, shaking my head. "I don't know."

He tipped my head back so that I had no choice but to look up into his bright blue eyes. "Come on, Kitten, take a chance."

I swallowed thickly as he brushed a curl behind my ear. "But what if I lose?"

His smile widened. "Then we let the chips fall where they may." He reminded me of our previous conversation from over dinner. "You can only lose if you don't try."

We walked hand in hand through the casino, looking around for a game to play. Jasper suggested a card game to start, and I agreed, feeling comfortable with something a bit more familiar.

Jasper suddenly tugged my hand, pulling me up a set of steps. Noticing a sign off to the side, I pulled him to a stop.

"No, wait," I gestured to the sign. "This is for high rollers."

He smirked and nodded. "You're very observant."

I rolled my eyes. "No, I mean that I don't feel comfortable with you paying for me if we are playing with large amounts of money. It's a ten-thousand dollar minimum to play here!"

He gave me a look that said 'are you serious?' But then relented when I wouldn't budge. Billionaire or not, I wouldn't be the cause of him losing that much money.

"Fine, what if we play together?" He compromised.

I worried my bottom lip as I thought about it before finally acquiescing. "Fine."

"Good." His eyes darkened as he reached up to brush his thumb over the lip I just had in between my teeth. "Let's go."

We continued up the rest of the steps, stopping to check in with the woman at the podium. Apparently, this was not only for high rollers, but for the casino's vip members holding a black card, as well. I could only imagine the amount of money one would have to spend in order to earn one of those.

The large room was closed off from the public view, and judging from the countless twinkling lights and polished marble floors, the atmosphere oozed style and money. It had the feel of an expensive gentlemen's club as beautiful girls breezed around in classy lingerie with their tray's in hand. A racy girl who looked like she belonged on the cover of Playboy or FHM magazine climbed up a pole and dropped down into a split as the onlookers appraised her. I spotted a DJ near a dancefloor at the opposite end from where the card tables were arranged with a variety of men and women working as the dealers. Lastly, the long mahogany bar was positioned against the far wall with several bar stools hosting the patrons who crowded it. Liquor bottles decorated the wall behind it all the way up to the ceiling with multiple neon lights exposing them in a spectacular array of color.

Jasper led me over to a table where they were playing blackjack, and we both took a seat next to each other. A waitress in her skimpy uniform offered us crystal glasses filled with champagne, which we'd both accepted, giving me some liquid courage as Jasper threw a wad of cash down onto the table. The bleach blonde-haired man behind the table took the money so quickly that I didn't get the chance to estimate how much it was, swapping them out for some colorful chips.

"Do you know how to play?" Jasper asked as the dealer began to shuffle the cards.

"Um, I think so?" I replied, leaving the cards face down where they lay. "My dad taught me some card games when I was little, before he shipped out. This is the one where you have to get as close to twenty-one as you can without going over, right?"

He nodded. "Basically, in a casino, you compare your cards between the players and the dealer, but you're not competing against the other players, just him. The object is to beat Jason, here, which can be done several different ways." He explained, the dealer - Jason - waiting patiently, obviously having known who just sat down at his table. "You reach a final score higher than the dealer without exceeding 21, or let the dealer draw additional cards until your hand exceeds 21." He then went on to explain the rules and how many points each card is worth.

"Okay, I get it," I nodded, taking a sip of my champagne.

"Good," he nodded. "Do you still want to play together or would you rather me set you loose?"

"Let's play together," I agreed, still unwilling to use his money, especially in an event where I'd lose.

"As you wish." He scooted his chair closer to mine as the dealer began to divvy out the cards, giving me a chance to take in the faces of the other players at the table. There was a blonde man who looked to be in his thirties at the opposite end of the table with a stunning red head hanging from his arm, sitting so closely that the pair couldn't even slip a sheet of paper between the two of them. She was running her fingers through his hair and whispering in his ear, causing the blonde man to grin. There was also a middle-aged man wearing a cowboy hat off to my right, sitting alone at the opposite end from the couple. He wore a bolo-tie and a button down shirt with jeans. To his left, two men, who couldn't be older than me, sat together drinking a beer. They appeared to be relaxed and having a good time. They looked alike in appearance and I began to think of them as possible brothers. Then, finally, there was an African American man with short cropped hair and a gaudy silver chain hanging from his neck with a money sign hanging from the bottom, who was also sitting with a woman on his arm. She was clearly of the Spanish descent with a tight bright orange dress to accent her golden skin tone as she chatted him up.

Once everyone was ready to begin, I organized my cards on the table with Jasper watching from over my shoulder, his arm relaxed in a possessive gesture around my waist. I had a six and a three.

"Hit," Jasper instructed myself and the dealer, who tossed down another card, which turned over was a ten, making nineteen. "Stand."

We ended up winning that round and the next few after that, having gained the attention of everyone nearby as they crowded around our table to watch. Jasper was very quiet while we played after that, only speaking with a hand signal when necessary. Other than that, he would draw aimless circles with his fingertips over my hip bone, garnering most of my awareness as we played. However, one thing that didn't escape my attention was the way the other women at the table were eyeing Jasper like the prize he was, even though they were presently in the company of their escorts or significant other - not that they even noticed. They were too busy with the game and their chances of winning. The only ones who weren't visibly stressed were the two brothers drinking beer, still chatting and laughing now that they had a few drinks in them. They were barely paying the game much attention. The cowboy also sat there, vacantly staring at the cards, though it may have just been a front. I wasn't sure.

"You're really good at this game," I commented as the dealer shuffled and passed everyone new cards.

He shrugged nonchalantly, and continued to watch from over my shoulder as the cards were laid out before me; a five and a three.

"We all have our talents, I suppose." He turned to the dealer, using his hand to signal for every "hit."

He passed us an additional card face down, which turned out to be another three once it was flipped over.

"Hit."

Again, Jason slid us another card.

"Hit," Jasper repeated the gesture, only for me to hold up my hand for the dealer to wait and turned to look up at him, completely flabbergasted at the bold move.

"We're up to twenty!" I reminded him, making a show of the eight we had just added to our pile. "We'll bust if we don't get an ace!"

He wordlessly looked down at me, and I could feel the suspenseful eyes on us from everyone surrounding the table. Even the two brothers had stopped their conversation to see what would happen.

"Come on, Kitten," He began softly, a small smile pulling at his lips. "Just take the chance and let the chips fall where they may. I dare you."

I continued to stare up into his challenging gaze. He had something up his sleeve. He had to! But regardless if that were true or not, he was right. I needed to stop playing it safe all the time. If I could take the chance on accepting the job at WINC Tech without knowing exactly what I was getting into, then I could do this. No more playing it safe. It was time to make a gamble.

Without breaking our stare, I lifted my hand to the dealer. "Double."

Gasps echoed around us as Jasper's grin widened in a pleased and delighted sense of surprise. We refused to turn our focus away from each other as the dealer slapped down our card and the crowd erupted into cheers.

"Well, what do you know?" Jasper's lips twisted wryly as he reached down to pick up the winning hand, revealing the ace of spades that had allowed us to reach twenty-one one the dot.

It was the dealer's turn next, and we turned our heads to watch in silence as he flipped card after card down onto the table until he reached sixteen. He had no choice but to flip another card, needing either a five or less to stay under the limit.

Flipping down the next card, we held our breaths until we saw the queen of hearts appear and everyone began to applaud and display their approval, knowing that the dealer had just bust and announced us as the overall winners, sliding a pile of chips in our direction before paying out the other winners at our table. Congratulations were given from all around, though Jasper didn't acknowledge them more than a polite thank you.

"Are you just about done with this experience?" He murmured into my ear as he ran his fingers across my lower back.

I nodded, "I'm ready when you are."

"Good. Here," Jasper turned to me and discretely slipped something into my hand.

Looking down, I noticed that it was a twenty-five thousand dollar chip that read _Whitlock Belfry_ in golden letters.

I frowned, peering back up into his luminous blue eyes, a mixture of hurt and resentment blossoming through me. "You can't buy me, Whitlock." I attempted to thrust the chip back into his possession. He was making me feel like a high class hooker, and that wasn't alright with me. I would never have sex for money, and I wasn't about to start now - even if it was with someone as impressive and appealing as Jasper Whitlock.

He kept his expression neutral, though I could make out the brief widening of his eyes. "You earned it with that last play."

I shook my head emphatically. "It's too much - "

"Not compared to how much you helped me win," He interrupted me, but I still didn't acquiesce. So, he tried another tactic. "I'm not trying to buy you, Isabella. It's simply a small share of the winnings." He brushed my cheek with the backs of his fingers. "Please? You've earned it."

His touch clouded my mind, making it hard for me to think.

"Fine," I relented, my brain still in a fog.

"Thank you." He leaned in to press a brief, yet still heart-stopping kiss to my lips, causing me to sway on my feet. Luckily, the crowd around us was so thick that their close proximity kept me standing upright and from making a complete and utter idiot of myself in front of Jasper and the rest of the high rollers and VIP guests.

Pulling back only a centimeter or two, I could feel his breath on my face as he stared down at me with one arm wrapped tightly around my waist, anchoring my body to his. It was quickly becoming the only thing holding me upright. His normally light blue eyes had suddenly turned dark and I could feel his erection growing against my front, causing a shiver of arousal to flow through me.

"God, I want you," he whispered huskily, only loud enough for me to hear as he continued to run his thumb over my jaw and cheekbone. The background noise had rapidly faded into a distant hum as the sound of my heart hammering in my chest became the only sound I heard, accompanied by our shallow breathing.

"Then what are you waiting for?" I heard myself ask softly as desire continued to pool between my legs.

Without saying another word, he sucked in a breath and swiftly turned his attention back towards the table. I watched in somewhat of a daze as Jasper gestured at Jason, who then began to gather our chips together before quickly signaling a large, balding man over. He had been standing discreetly off to the side and was now weaving his way through the crowd that still gathered around our table where he stopped at Jason's side. The dealer whispered something into his ear before turning back to face Jasper, who had been watching the exchange, his body pressed rigid next to mine.

"Mr. Whitlock, this is Angus. He does security for our VIP high rollers and Black card members." Jason explained. "He -"

"I'm quite familiar with the casino's protocol, Jason." Jasper impatiently cut him off before he could say any more and held up a finger, telling the two men to hold on as he pulled his cell phone out from his pocket with the hand not holding onto me and pressed a button, lifting it to his ear. He murmured something unintelligible into the receiver, then hung up. "My associate will be in to handle my winnings. I trust that you won't give him any trouble?"

"No, sir," Jason straightened behind the table, obviously feeling a bit embarrassed at not remembering who he had been talking to. "Everything will proceed discretely as per customary protocol."

Jasper jerked his head approvingly, "Good." He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a fifty spot, slipping it to the larger man. "For your trouble."

The large stoic man surprised me when he cracked a grateful smile. "It's no trouble at all. Thank you, sir."

Jasper only nodded dismissively and immediately began to guide me through the maze of people towards the exit of the high roller's VIP section and towards a block of elevators to the right.

"Where are we going?" I asked him, but Jasper didn't respond, choosing silence rather than providing me with an explanation.

As we stopped in front of the elevators, he hit the button to summon the car and the doors swiftly opened, having been already waiting on our floor. Jasper tugged me inside and, once the doors were closed, he pulled out a keycard from his pocket and inserted it into a slot before hitting the button for the top floor.

I could see our reflections within the mirrored glass that surrounded us at all angles, providing me with a 180 degree view of my flushed form next to Jasper's immaculate body. It was a beautiful sight, being able to see him from every vantage point, however it made me wonder, and not for the first time this evening, what he could possibly see in a girl like me when we were obviously so very different.

I felt the elevator began to rise, and it was then that I began to take in our present situation. We're alone. It was then that, for some unexplainable reason, possibly our close proximity in such a small enclosed space and the anticipation that had been persistently building throughout the night, the atmosphere between us shifted like an electric charge that was humming to life. My breathing began to pick up it's pace as my heart raced against it. Having sensed the fluctuation, Jasper slightly turned his head towards me, his eyes now as dark as night and full of hunger. I pulled my bottom lip inward, my tongue poking out slightly to wet my dry lips.

"Fuck it," he growled, lunging at me as he shoved me up against the mirrored wall of the elevator. He pinned me to the wall using his hips as one hand cupped my jaw, the other grabbing at my hair, yanking it downward as he brought my face up, smashing his lips to mine in a ravenous kiss.

Somewhere in my subconscious, I knew that I should be feeling a semblance of pain from his sudden, lustful attack, but all I could feel was immense pleasure as he curved over me, his luxurious blonde hair framing his forehead. I had almost no room to breathe and I moaned into his mouth, gifting him with an opening to which he took full advantage of. His tongue began skillfully exploring the cavern of my mouth, and he groaned, tilting his head as he continuously sealed his mouth over mine. I sighed as his tongue dipped inside, tasting me in long, leisurely licks.

This kiss was unlike any of our other kisses, and worlds away from any kiss prior with any other man. It was full of confidence and hunger, skilled and filled with promise of the knowledge that there would be no slowing down or stopping this time around. Pleasure and release were the goal and it was one that we would most definitely be achieving.

 **A/N:** **And that's the end of this chapter! Hehe, I think I picked a devilishly good spot to leave off at. Any thoughts about their night together so far? What about the dinner and Jaspers look on life? Did you like his Italian-style casino and resort? What is he hiding that he doesn't want Bella to know about? Any thoughts or ideas on what will happen in the next chapter? Review!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note!**

 **To see more, go to my FF and Wattpad pages under the penname:**

 **Xo BellaItaliana oX**

 **If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page!**

 **PM me if you have any questions  
unrelated to the story!**

 **Bella'Xo**

 **Xo BellaItaliana oX**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**. **All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.  
**

 **Life's a Gamble**

 **A/N:** **This story is a completely** **original** **storyline and plot, only using Stephanie Meyer's Twilight characters that we all know and love. Everything else is completely mine. I really hope you guys enjoy it and give me your honest feedback.**

 **REMINDER** **: If anyone is interested in viewing** **PICTURES** **from each of the chapters (of a scene with the characters and their surroundings; including Jasper romance) check out the stories on my Wattpad page! The link is located on my profile!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! Enjoy! - Bella'Xo**

* * *

 _ **Previously...  
(Bella's POV)**_

 _Having sensed the fluctuation, Jasper slightly turned his head towards me, his eyes now as dark as night and full of hunger. I pulled my bottom lip inward, my tongue poking out slightly to wet my dry lips._

 _"Fuck it," he growled, lunging at me as he shoved me up against the mirrored wall of the elevator. He pinned me to the wall using his hips as one hand cupped my jaw, the other grabbing at my hair, yanking it downward as he brought my face up, smashing his lips to mine in a ravenous kiss._

 _Somewhere in my subconscious, I knew that I should be feeling a semblance of pain from his sudden, lustful attack, but all I could feel was immense pleasure as he curved over me, his luxurious blonde hair framing his forehead. I had almost no room to breathe and I moaned into his mouth, gifting him with an opening to which he took full advantage of. His tongue began skillfully exploring the cavern of my mouth, and he groaned, tilting his head as he continuously sealed his mouth over mine. I sighed as his tongue dipped inside, tasting me in long, leisurely licks._

 _This kiss was unlike any of our other kisses, and worlds away from any kiss prior with any other man. It was full of confidence and hunger, skilled and filled with promise of the knowledge that there would be no slowing down or stopping this time around. Pleasure and release were the goal and it was one that we would most definitely be achieving._

* * *

 **Chapter 6:** **Too Much, Too Fast**

 **(Bella's POV)**

* * *

 **WARNING : LEMON** **\- The following is a sexually explicit scene with an** **MA** **rating.**

 **Those who lack the maturity level or are under the age of 18 are suggested to skip down to the next scene.**

 **\- This is a courtesy provided by the author.**

* * *

My tongue tentatively met his, stroking it as I joined in with his erotic dance. My hands gripped his biceps, rising up to his neck where I could feel the thrumming beat of his pulse point going wildly out of control. He ground his hips into mine and I could feel his erection... _my God!_ It was large and straining while begging to be let out of it's confines.

The sound of the elevator doors opening on our floor barely registered through the cloud of frenzied lust that encompassed us, causing the air to become thick and heady from our pent-up desires. The feel of his firm hands as he moved and caressed them down my body to my rear ignited an all-consuming flame as he cupped the curve of my buttocks, picking me up off my feet to wrap my legs around his powerful frame, which dispersed heat and hunger, spurring on my own untamed fervor for him.

I wanted him. _Badly_. But deep down, I knew that he was no good for the likes of someone like me. In all honesty, I could screw up my own life without any help from him.

My flushed forehead pressed against his as he pulled away to nibble on my collarbone as he walked us into what appeared to be a large suite. It was dark inside, the only lights coming in from the floor to ceiling windows on the other side of the room.

I was pressed full-body against him, achingly aware of every hot, hard inch of his immaculate form that constantly sent my body into a tizzy. His mouth collided with mine once again, and I kissed him back as though I could eat him alive. His kisses were concocted of pure animalistic bliss, just on the right side of aggressive to send my body spiraling out of pleasurable control.

I was vaguely aware of movement, and then the couch was pressed against my back and Jasper was levered over me with one knee on the cushion and the other foot on the floor. His left arm supported his torso while his right hand seized the back of my knee, gliding upward along my thigh in a rigidly possessive slide.

His breath hissed out when he reached the point where my panties should have been, forcibly tearing his gaze away from mine as he looked down, pushing my dress higher to reveal me from the waist down. I hadn't been wearing any earlier before we made it to his penthouse, out of thongs and not willing to risk any pantie lines, so I'd decided to go bear, not realizing at the time that we would be going out and that he'd bought me a new dress to go to out in.

"Jesus, Bella." A low growl vibrated in his chest, the primitive sound delivering goose bumps racing over my skin. "You're so damned lucky that I didn't know about this before hand."

"Or what?" I demanded to know with a rueful smile pulling at my lips, daring him to answer me with a shred of honesty.

"Or I would have been eating _you_ for dinner instead of the chicken."

In a daze, I surveyed Jasper's body as it lowered over mine, my legs automatically drifting apart in order to accommodate the width of his hips. My muscles strained with the urge to lift against him, to hasten the connection between us that I'd been denying myself since the first moment I'd laid eyes on him. Bowing his head, he took my mouth again, bruising my lips with a fine edge of savagery.

One of his hands pushed between my legs. They brazenly fell apart, my body so incredibly aroused that I was flushed from head to toe and almost feverish in my pursuit. His other hand began to massage my breasts over top the fine material of my dress, causing them to become ample and unbearably sensitive.

He groaned when his fingers found my sex. "You're so unbelievably wet for me," he murmured, his gaze sliding down my body to where he was parting me with the tips of his fingers. "So beautifully pink and soft. So soft."

He slid one of his fingers carefully inside me, and my eyes fell shut against the vulnerability I felt at being stretched out virtually naked as I was intimately touched by a man who was clearly familiar with an extensively thorough firsthand knowledge of the female anatomy. A man who was also still fully clothed as he now kneeled on the floor beside me.

"Holy shit, you're so tight." Jasper pulled out and gently thrust his finger back into me, causing my back to bow up off the cushions as I greedily clenched around him. "And so eager. How long has it been since the last time you've been fucked?"

I swallowed hard, my head spinning as I tried to focus on his question. "I've been... busy, sort of. I had finals, then job hunting and moving, then -"

"A while, then," He interrupted me as he pulled out and pushed back into me with a second finger. I couldn't hold back a satisfactory moan. The man had talented hands, dauntless and proficient, and he took what he wanted with them with every ounce of fruition.

"Are you on birth control, kitten?"

"Yes." My hands gripped the edges of the cushions. "Of course I am."

"I can prove to you that I'm clean, and I already know from the health records you supplied to the company that you're clean," He murmured. "You're going to let me come in you tonight."

"Jesus, Jasper." I was panting for him now as my hips began to shamelessly gyrate onto his thrusting fingers. I felt as though I were going to spontaneously combust if he didn't get allow me to climax soon. I was a writhing time bomb that was about to self-destruct on the brink of the all-consuming full body orgasm that I could feel coming.

Good God, I've never been so aroused in my entire life. I was near mindless with this intense craving I felt for my release. If anyone came in right then and saw me moaning and squirming on the sofa like this while Jasper finger-fucked me, I strongly doubted I'd care, let alone acknowledge the intrusion - I was that caught up in the moment.

Jasper was breathing hard, too. His face, lit up only by the city lights, was flushed with lust and intense need for _me_ when I'd done nothing more than respond wantonly to his pleasurable ministrations. His naturally bright blue eyes were so dark that it almost looked as though he had no pupil anymore, just a black circle surrounded by white.

The hand at my breast drifted to my cheek and ghosted over it. "You're blushing."

"Yes."

"You're so sexy in your need for release. It's driving me wild in the best of ways." His smile was both wicked and gleeful, and it made my chest constrict. "I want to feel myself as I relentlessly thrust in and out of you when you come. I want to feel your walls as they quiver and ripple as you chase after your orgasm, just like you are now."

My sex convulsed around his fondling fingers, the bite of his words aggressively launching me to the peak of orgasm.

"We're going to have intensely primal, volatile, no-holds-barred sex. I plan to ruin you for all men, and you're going to be _mine_ in every way," he hoarsely murmured in a manner that sent a ripple of fire throughout my veins. "You know that, don't you, kitten? You can sense how amazing it'll be between us when we're finally joined..."

"Yes," I breathed, my hands reaching up to clutch at my breasts in an ill-attempt to alleviate the deep ache of my hardened nipples. " _Please_ , Jasper."

"Shh...I've got you, sweetheart." The pad of his thumb rubbed my clitoris in dove-like circles as I hurdled that much closer to orgasm. "Look into my eyes. I want to see the ecstasy in those green pools when you come."

Everything immediately tightened in my core, the fine line of tension that progressively built and expanded as he circled my clit, pushing his fingers in and out in a steady, unhurried rhythm slowly drove me insane in the most delicious of ways.

"Come for me, Isabella," he ordered. _"Now."_

I immediately climaxed with a high-pitched cry, my grip becoming white-knuckled as I grasped at the edges of the sofa cushions, my hips instinctively pumping onto his hand, my mind far beyond any semblance of timidness or mortification. My eyes were locked onto his as he'd asked, powerless in any attempt to close my eyes or look away, riveted by the poignant resolute jubilance that illuminated his darkened gaze. I knew that in that very moment, he without a doubt _owned_ me. I was putty in his extremely competent hands. And, what was more, he _knew_ it.

Searing pleasure continued to pulse throughout my body, and, through the roaring of blood pumping in my ears, I could've sworn that I'd heard him hoarsely speak, but the words to question him were completely lost on me when he reached down and hooked one of my jello-like legs over his hip and pulled me up into a sitting position.

"Hold onto me, sweetheart," he instructed me as he assisted in wrapping my arms around his neck.

"I'll try, but my muscles feel as though they've lost the will to work," I muttered into his neck.

He let out a satisfied chuckle. "Don't worry, I've got you," he told me for the second time this evening as he pulled my hips flush against him, and I sucked in a gasp at the unbelievably large bulge I felt in between my legs, and, just like that, a new wave of arousal warmed my sex as his hands slid up under my dress to palm my ass as he rose to his feet with my body still wrapped around him like a rag doll.

His strength was staggering as he effortlessly walked us into the bedroom with ease, his lips pecking kisses at my neck and shoulders until I felt the coolness of the fresh sheets against my bare back, Jasper's weight pressing deliciously against me as my head hit the pillow.

Crazy in my need to feel him, I reached between us to unbutton his slacks before tugging his shirt free. I pushed my hands up beneath the fabric to feel his bare skin and the ridges of hard muscle beneath it.

"I need to feel you. _Now_."

He laughed as he toed off his shoes, shrugging out of his jacket before helping me with the buttons of his crisp white shirt, which I pushed over his shoulders in my haste. My God, seeing him in the flesh as the city lights lit up his chest fried just about every one of my synapses. There wasn't an ounce of excess flesh on him anywhere, just hard slabs of toned muscle with washboard abs that led down to his pelvis, the sexy V of a muscle that made my mouth water. His chest was groomed with the same care that he seemed to show the rest of his body. He was everything I coveted, the pure embodiment of everything I fantasized about and more.

"Jesus," I mumbled as I stared unabashedly at his Adonis-like chest.

He smirked wolfishly and ran his hands up the sides of my thighs, pushing my dress up my body and over my head, having unzipped it as he carried me into the bedroom. After sliding an arm around me to unhook my bra before tossing it over his shoulder, I now lie completely naked, aside from my heels, which he'd immediately began to remove without looking away from me.

"You're so beautiful," he finally whispered as he leaned over me, leaving a trail of fire everywhere his skin met mine. His purely make scent was like an aphrodisiac, intoxicating me with desire until I felt like I was about to lose my mind.

Leaning down, he pulled my nipple into his mouth and bit down just hard enough for the pain to be pleasurable while his other hand massaged my other breast. I cried out from the scorching heat and the lash of his tongue, causing my core to clench at every ministration. Needing something to hold on to, my hands made their way into his sweat-dampened hair, enticing a growl turned moan from his extremely talented mouth.

Lifting his head, he smiled down at me. "I love your body." He brushed a stray curl away from my face. "You're amazing."

The feelings that bubbled up in me at that moment stunned me, seeing that smile and the heat in his eyes...it was intense...staggering...painful, causing my heart to swell in my chest.

 _Too much,_ I thought to myself. _This was becoming too much too fast._

"Jasper-"

He silenced me with his mouth, kissing me deeply as his tongue stroked into my mouth. I swear this man could make me come with no more than his kiss alone. Everything about him turned me on to the full extent, the way his skin rose and fell beneath my hands, the way he looked at me and touched me. The greed he demonstrated with his touch and the silent demands he made as he forcefully pleasured me and took his pleasure in return was steadfastly driving me wild.

"I don't think I'll ever have enough of your body," he spoke against my skin as he licked and nibbled across my shoulder before sliding down to catch my other nipple with his teeth. The brief dart of pain caused my back to arch on a soft cry. Soothing the sting with his tongue, he then began kissing his way downward. "I've never wanted anything as badly as I want you in this moment."

"Jasper, please."

"Not yet," he murmured, continuing lower to my navel, which I rimmed with his tongue. I groaned, tugging at his hair in an attempt to pull him back up."You're not ready for me yet, kitten. I'll bruise you if I don't thoroughly prepare you first. I need you to relax."

A violent shiver of desire moved throughout my body as he slid lower. I tensed. "No, Jasper, you don't have to do that."

He ignored me, burying his face in my cleft and I began to struggle against his firm hold on me, my body flushed with embarrassment. He nipped at my inner thigh chastisingly with his teeth. "Stop that."

"Please, Jasper. That's not necessary."

His disapproving glare caused me to still, and at that point I knew he saw through me. "Do you honestly think that I don't feel the same way about your body than you do about mine?" He asked harshly. "I want you, Bella. I want you so badly it hurts."

Unable to form a single word, I licked my lips and nodded my consent, so crazily turned on by his intense need for me. I could feel the vibrations in his chest as he growled and dove into the wet heat in between my legs. Licking and parting the sensitive tissue, his tongue plunged into me as my hips restlessly churned. My body was out of control, silently begging for more as the burning pleasure seared my body.

"Jesus, Bella. I swear I've wanted my mouth on you every day since the second we met. You're so unbelievably sweet. I could live off your essence for the rest of my days."

"Yes." My head pressed further into the pillow as his tongue flicked over my swollen nub. "Keep going. Don't stop."

"Never." Finally, with the gentlest of suction and a hard lick, I was thrown over the edge as my orgasm jolted through me. I violently tensed, my limbs shaking as I writhed and convulsed at the shallow penetrating, weaving my hands into his thick head of hair, trying to pull him deeper. His groans intensified my pleasure as they vibrated against my sex, goading the climax to continuously roll on and on. Tears stung my eyes, the physical pleasure breaking down all the walls I'd built to keep my emotions at bay.

But Jasper didn't stop there, circling my trembling entrance with the tip of his tongue, lapping at my pulsing clit until I quickened again. He pushed two fingers inside of me, curving and stroking that magical spot inside me until I thrashed against the onslaught of pleasure, too sensitive from the two prior orgasms. I cried out hoarsely as I came again as he drew on my clit with a constant, measured suction. Then, before I could catch my breath, he had added a third finger, curling and spreading me apart.

"No," I gasped for breath, every inch of my skin tingling and scorching me from the inside out. "I can't!"

"Once more," he rasped coaxing me for more. "Once more and I'll fuck you."

I shook my head insistingly, "I can't!"

"You can and you will." He blew a cool stream of air over my soaked, heated sex, reawakening each of my raw nerve endings. "I love watching you as you come apart. I love the way your body quivers and the sexy little sounds you make as they blossom into full out screams. You're so responsive to my touch, my commands - I've never seen anything like it..."

He stroked and massaged that tender spot inside me and, to my unprepared surprise, an orgasm pulsed through me in a creeping, feverish cycle of satisfaction, no less overwhelming for being more mellow than the others.

Leaning up, he stretched himself over top of me, effectively pinning my body to the mattress as he tucked his forearms around the outside of my biceps, pressing them to my sides as he conquered me. My eyes remained riveted to his economically handsome face. His features were coarse with lust, his jaw clenched tight as he denied himself the pleasure he was craving. His eyes were so dilated and even darker than before - something I hadn't thought was possible. I knew without a doubt that I was staring into the face of a man who had by far passed the wide limits of the control that seemed so important to him. It meant a lot to me that he'd made it this far for my prosperity and that he had done so with my pleasure in mind, as well as to prepare me for what would no doubt be one hell of a ride.

Fisting the sheets, I felt my anticipation take over. He'd done more than enough to take care of my pleasure on more than one occasion thus far, and it was only fair that I returned the favor in any way he desired. This next bit would be for him.

"Take me, Jasper," I beseeched him, challenging him with my stare, my eyes glued to his dual pools of darkness. His eyes flashed dangerously as I continued to goad him. "I want you to fake me _now_. Make me yours."

I knew I had him with that last attempt to provoke him as he reached down between us, taking himself in hand, and rammed into me to the hilt, sinking all the way into me with one powerful thrust.

My name came out as a growl on his lips. " _Bella._ "

I sucked in a breath, gasping violently. My God, he was huge, hard as granite, and so damn _deep_. My head started to spin, the connection between us was alarming and intense. Emotionally. Introspectively. I'd never felt like this before, so completely taken...possessed... _owned._

I didn't have much time to regard how I felt about this, because Jasper's total domination he had over me and my body ratcheted my arousal and desire to unconscionable heights. I'd never been so hot for something in my life.

I relished the feel of him filling and stretching my insides, causing me to clench around him tightly. He tensed and groaned from the constrictive feeling I'd created around him, and he ground his hips against mine as if to reinforce his claim on me.

His entire body hardened under my touch, the muscles of his chest and arms straining as he pulled himself out to the tip. The only warning I got was the rigorous abridging of his abs before he slammed forward. Hard.

Crying out, I felt his chest vibrate against mine with a low rudimentary sound. "Christ...you feel so good. So tight...wet...a perfect fit."

Pleasure immediately started to ripple throughout my entire body as he tightened his hold and started fucking me. My hips had become practically nailed down to the mattress with his rigorously harsh thrusts. Every drive of his body into my own was pure perfection, I never wanted it to end.

He held me tightly in place as he buried his face into my neck. He pressed open-mouthed kisses to his favorite spot over my pulse point, allowing him to feel the wild thrum underneath his lips as we chased our orgasms, plunging into me in a steady, heated pace.

Occasionally, he'd gasp out words that made my skin crawl with desire. "I've never been so turned on in my life. You're feel so wonderful...So deep...I can feel myself thrusting into you all the way against my stomach..."

Sure, I'd told myself that this part would be for him and his pleasure, and yet he'd still managed to find a way to focus on me as he swiveled his hips, stroking immense pleasure through my heated core. Each thrust, kiss, word enticed minute, helpless sounds of need, and his lips moved to slant over mine before attacking my mouth, his tongue stroking mine in time with his hips. I was so desperate for him, and I reached up, digging my nails into his shoulder blades as I silently wished for him to go harder and faster.

Both of our bodies were dripping in sweat, our skin hot and damp as they slick together, both of our chests rapidly rising and falling as we panted and gasped for air. I could feel my release brewing closer and closer inside me as my body clenched and tightened around him. He cursed, shoving one hand underneath my hip to cup me from behind, lifting me up into his drives so he would continuously stroke a spot inside me that was aching for him.

"Come for me, Bella," he harshly demanded, coercing me to fall over the edge and into oblivion. "Come _now_!"

My body obeyed his command in such a way that I was practically sobbing his name as I climaxed, the sensations he'd magnified and enhanced from the way he'd taken control of me.

Jasper's head dropped as he buried it into my neck, his jaw clenched as he groaned loudly, a continuous shudder beginning to wrack his body. "Ah, Bella!" He bit down into my skin, right where my shoulder met my neck as he clasped me so tightly that I couldn't breathe, his hips pumping as he came in long, hard spurts inside me. The pain from his bite, mixed with his thrusting hips sent me right over again, drawn out and sensational.

Finally spent, he collapsed on top of me, pressing soothing kisses over my neck and shoulders, his breath coming out in harsh pants. My entire body tingles and pulsed, completely worn out and in a level of subspace that had me unwilling to want to move.

"Wow," I finally managed to murmur to myself.

He let out a brief laugh, rolling us so that I was now draped over top of him, my head resting over his pounding heart, though we were still connected. "That doesn't even remotely cover it. You were amazing."

I let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I didn't do much."

"You didn't have to," he reassured me. "The way you respond to me is enough to send me over the edge without even touching me, as embarrassing as that may sound."

I sucked in a breath, the image he'd put in my head sending a wave of heat throughout my body. The way this man was affecting me was ridiculous! I mean, come on, I've just had several full-body orgasms in the last hour! How was it possible that my body could be still hungry for more?

He let out a groan as my nails dug into his biceps, my sex clenching around his semi-erect member. "Shit."

I felt him immediately begin to harden, and he gripped my hips as he ground himself into me. Good God, the man had some serious stamina and one hell of a rebound time!

"Don't tell me you're already up for more?" I lifted my head, looking down at him with surprise.

He smiled wolfishly, "You tell me."

Rolling us over, he thrust into me once again, commencing the second round in what turned out to be the most erotic night in my life to date.

* * *

 **END OF LEMON**

* * *

The heat from the morning sunlight warmed my face, rousing me from sleep. It was obviously early yet as I could still hear and feel Jasper's deep breathing as my head rose and fell against his rhythmic sound of his heart beating provided the perfect harmony as I slowly began to get my bearings. Memories of the night before began to flash through my head, causing butterflies to begin to flutter in my stomach.

 _Shit_. This was not good, not good at all. He was starting to get to me and I couldn't let that happen. I would only end up getting hurt when he rejected the idea of more and I wouldn't settle for just being a plaything to him. Heartbreak would be the only eventuality if I set myself up with expectations. We had our night together, and now he would let me go and I could begin the healing process without much trouble since I didn't become too attached.

Oh, who was I kidding? I'd already become attached. I just needed to get out of here.

I carefully eased myself away from him, slowly untangling our entwined limbs as not to wake him. I didn't think I could handle the awkward morning-after scene with the man who'd continuously rocked my world only hours ago. There was a close call where I'd thought he'd woken when I'd gently removed his arm from around my waist, but as I swiftly replaced my body with a nearby pillow, he'd relaxed, pulling the pillow tighter to his chiseled frame.

Christ, the man was beautiful, the way the sheets came to rest against his waist, revealing his sculpted chest and well-defined arms. He was a masterpiece akin to Michelangelo's David.

Shaking the thoughts of admiration and lust from my clouded-up mind, I climbed out of the bed and stood on shaky legs, standing there for a moment until I was able to tip toe across the room to where my dress had been discarded on the floor during his quest to rid me of my clothing. I spotted my clutch a few feet away in front of the armchair, as well as my bra peeking out from underneath the bed. I swiped them quickly, silently scurrying into the connected bathroom, and easing the door shut behind me with an audible sigh of relief.

Immediately, I began to dress, pulling on last night's clothing with a sense of forlorn. Turning my head, I noticed my reflection in the mirror and froze. Right where my neck met my shoulders was an obvious bite mark with slight bruising around the individual teeth , this was going to be hell to cover up, assuming I could in the first place. It was like I'd been branded by him, marked in some way as his during the throws of passion. I had a gut feeling that this was going to leave a scar, even if it wasn't that deep.

I began to frantically search my clutch for some makeup or a compact, but found nothing. With a defeated sigh, I decided to get moving, and looked up at my reflection in the mirror, doing my best to avoid the bite mark.

My makeup was slightly smudged under my eyes and my long dark curls were in desperate need of taming. Unfortunately, I didn't have a brush or any of my toiletries with me, so I opened my clutch to grab the spare rubber band I kept on me and gathered up my hair into a messy bun on top of my head. Then I turned on the faucet to splash some water onto my face to rid myself of my old makeup, using a hand towel folded off to the side to dry myself with. I'd really wanted to grab a shower, but in my rush to get out of here without waking Jasper, this would have to do until I got back to the condo.

When I was finished in the bathroom, I quietly pulled the door open, relieved to see that he was still asleep where I'd left him. Making my way back into the room, I grabbed my pumps from the foot of the bed and slipped out of the bedroom and into the living room, closing the door behind me. Then, I took a seat on one of the couches to put on my heels.

Rising to my feet, I knocked over my clutch, causing me to wince, hoping that it didn't wake Jasper. Squatting down, I began picking up the spilled contents, and it was then that I spotted the twenty-five thousand dollar chip that Jasper had given me. I picked it up and studied it, holding it with two fingers in front of my face. There was no way I could accept this. Especially not after last night.

Spotting a note pad on the desk, I made my way over and jotted down a note to Jasper, thanking him for the wonderful night. Then, I took the note and the chip and placed them where I knew he would see them before summoning the elevator car. As I waited in the parlor, I turned and gave the expensive suite one last gander, my heart heavy and my eyes beginning to well with tears as they landed on the set of double doors that led to the bedroom where Jasper still slept, oblivious to my emotional havoc.

The elevator arrived, the doors opening and I stepped inside, turning to face the luxurious penthouse suite one last time before the doors closed on both the suite and the possibility of a life with the man inside.

* * *

"What do you think of these?" Kate asked me for what seemed like the twentieth time since we'd entered the Christian Louboutin shoe store nearly thirty minutes ago. She was holding up a pair of nude colored pumps with a six in heel.

"I'm sure they'll look great on you, just like the other fifteen pairs you have at home." I answered her absentmindedly. I detested shopping as it was, but today, especially, I couldn't even fake like I was into this.

Kate rolled her eyes. "I wasn't talking about them for me! I thought they would look great with the baby pink dress you're wearing tonight."

This caught my attention and I picked up the shoe she was talking about, turning it around in my hands. "They're almost a thousand dollars! Are you crazy? And this heel - my feet would be killing me by the end of the night!" I placed it back onto the shelf, internally wincing at the thought of wearing something with such a steep arch. "Can't you find something that I would be able to walk in? And preferably something that I wouldn't have to take out a loan to afford?"

She scoffed, "Stop being so dramatic! It's not the shoe you're paying for, but the name that says 'I'm amazing'." She turned to examine another pair of red six and a half inch heels that were labeled Talitha's. "I have these at home and I can move around in them just fine."

"You were practically born in heels, Kate. Me, on the other hand, prefer comfort over style, as well as affordable."

"Says the girl who came home this morning wearing a pair of twenty-five hundred dollar Gucci pumps, and let's not even get in to the dress and the other stuff," she smirked. My eyes practically bugged out of my head when I heard the price of the heels Jasper had bought for me to wear the night before. "What's wrong? You look pale."

I shook my head. "I just didn't realize they cost so much."

She shrugged indifferently. "What do you expect out of a man like him? It's not like he can't afford it."

"It's still too much."

"Well, it's too late now. You wore them, so he can't return them!" She chirped in delight.

I sighed, "You're right."

"Always am!" She winked.

"And not modest about it either." I shot her a stoic look, but she just waved me off.

"Ohh! What about these!" She grinned, pointing out a pair of pink studded leather pumps.

I sighed, "If I'm going to be spending a couple hundred dollars on shoes, they're not going to be neon pink."

"Picky, picky," she grumbled with an eye roll.

"Can I help you ladies?" A pristine sales clerk appeared next to us with a pleasant smile.

"Yes!" Kate answered before I could dismiss his help. "We're looking for a pair of heels for my friend, here, and they need to match the light pink dress she's wearing to the Whitlock's charity event this evening."

His eyes lit up at the prospect of a high profile sale. "I have just the thing." He held up a finger for us to hold on and disappeared into the back room, coming out only seconds later with a shoe box labeled ' _Youpiyou_ '. "Size six and a half?"

I nodded and he pulled out a beautiful pair of gold four inch heels. Even I had to admit that they were stunning and would go perfectly with the dress Kate had picked out for me.

"Ooh, Bella! They're perfect!" Kate exclaimed, practically bouncing in place as she clapped her hands excitedly.

"They're made from Watersnake material and from the SS15 collection." He explained. "Would you like to try them on?"

"Of course, she would!" Kate forcefully guided me to the bench and pulled me down beside her before I could even comprehend what was happening.

The sales clerk helped me out of my brown leather boots that came up just below my knee and into the elegant pair of heels, prompting me to stand in front of the mirror and see how they feel.

"They look gorgeous!" Kate boasted. "You so have to get them!"

"Your friend is right," the clerk agreed. "They look as though they were made just for you."

I tilted my head as I turned to examine the shoes from a different angle.

"You really think they look okay?" I asked Kate. After all, she was like my fashion guru. I would be completely clueless and lost without her to guide me through all things girly. For someone who hated to shop, having someone like her in my life was vital. Not to mention, fashion aside, she was a great friend and would do anything for me. All I had to do was ask.

"Definitely, they're perfect! They really make your legs look hot! If you don't get them, I will!"

I sighed, turning to face the salesman. "How much are they?"

"One thousand ninety-five, plus tax," he responded nonchalantly.

My eyes shot to Kate. "Uh uh, no way. They're way too expensive." I hurriedly sat down and began to take them off, not wanting to risk damaging them, leaving me with the bill.

"Oh, come on, Bella!" Kate complained emphatically as she sat back down next to me. "You've earned them. With your new job, you can totally afford them, no problem!"

I looked over at her like she'd lost of her mind. "They're over eleven-hundred dollars! No type of footwear is worth that." I placed the heels back in their box and stood to hand the them back to the salesman. "I'm sorry, but they're too much."

He pursed his lips, but didn't take the box from me. "Eight hundred."

My brows shot up in surprise before I immediately schooled my features and peered up at him with narrow, skeptical eyes. "Why?"

He smiled, knowing he had gotten my attention with the discount. "A beautiful woman needs a pair of beautiful shoes."

I sighed. They were still too much, but I did need a pair of shoes for this high profile event. And if he was willing to go down on the price...

"Six hundred and you've got a deal."

His smile widened, "I'll ring you up at the counter."

* * *

With my new shoes in hand, Kate and I made our way over to the bar and grill down the street to meet Edward. We spotted him sitting at the bar drinking a Bud-Light waiting for us, female attention following him as he stood to make his way over.

"A beer? Really?" I quirked a brow at his bottle.

He grinned, "Hey, it's five o'clock somewhere, right?"

I laughed, "You're so cheesy."

"But it's why you love me." Edward wrapped an arm around both Kate and I, guiding us over to the hostess, whose eyes lit up at the sight of him. "Looks like the rest of my party is here."

"Looks like it," she giggled, picking up three menu's from the side of her podium, "Right this way." She led us to a table near the front windows that overlooked the street and a small outdoor patio. "Your waiter, Garrett , will be right with you."

"Thank you, sugar," Edward winked as we scooted into the booth, causing the hostess to blush as she made her way back to the front, turning to peek back at him as she walked.

"God, Edward, you're such a flirt!" Kate threw a wadded up paper napkin at him, which he easily caught.

"Jealous?" He grinned saucily.

She rolled her eyes, "Like I want to act as Ed's flavor of the week - as if!"

He rubbed at his chest, poking out his bottom lip. "You wound me."

Edward was an all around ladies man, but he had his reasons for never getting serious. His tough outer shell was nearly impossible to penetrate, but after he's propositioned me after class one day to which I'd turned him down - several times, I might add - we'd become best friends who were always attached to the hip. Kate, however, wasn't able to resist, as was her character to sleep with anyone she deemed fuckable, and ended up having a one night stand with him when they first met. They'd had a rough falling out afterward, but having me in common seemed to force them into rehashing their issues and they'd been good friends since.

"Good afternoon," our handsome punked-out waiter with dark, spiked hair and iced blue tips appeared at our table. "My name is Garrett , and I'll be taking care of you today. Can I start you off with something to drink?" He spoke with a southern accent that seemed to roll over his words. Kate's eyes lit up as she eyed him, sending a smirk and a wink in my direction from across the table.

"Ladies first," Edward gestured for us to go ahead.

"Um, I'll just have an iced tea, thanks." I gave him a small smile before looking back down at my menu, then back at Kate and Edward. "Do you guys already know what you want?"

"Yeah, I'm definitely ready," Kate purred as she stared up at Garrett with a come-hither smile. "I'll have a diet Pepsi and the Thai salad with extra red peppers," she leaned over to give him a perfect look down the front of her shirt. "I like all things extra spicy."

Garrett grinned, obviously taken by Kate's natural beauty and saucy attitude. "I'll keep that in mind," he winked before turning his attention back to me. "And for you, ma'am?"

"I'll just have the chicken tenders and an order of fries, thanks." I closed my menu and handed it to him.

"What about you, man?" He asked Edward. "Can I get you another Bud-Light?"

He nodded, "Yeah, and I'll have the barbeque bacon cheeseburger with the onion rings."

Garrett nodded, "I'll be right back with your drinks."

As soon as Garrett was out of earshot with Kate watching his behind as he retreated, I turned to level Edward with an inquisitive stare, worry and concern beginning to fill me.

"Seriously, Edward? You never drink this early, what's going on?" I asked him with all sincerity, knowing that something was definitely eating at him.

He shrugged, grabbing a french fry and bit off the end. "My parents called."

My interrogation deflated as I took this in and frowned. "When?"

"This morning, a couple of hours ago." Edward and his parents no longer spoke much. His father was in the marines and was very adamant about Edward joining after high school, but it wasn't something Edward wanted, choosing, instead, to go on to California State as a science major. To say that his father was upset and unsupportive would be putting it mildly. He claimed that all of the men on his father's side had joined the military and that it was a family tradition for the oldest boy to follow in those footsteps. His mother hadn't stuck up for him, rather choosing to fade into the background and have no part in defending her son. After Edward left for college, his father had cut him off and she followed her husband's example, which had really hurt Edward, even if he doesn't like to admit it. On the rare occasion that they did call, it only served to stir up trouble and send him into a depression for a couple of weeks where he would drink too much and sleep around even more frequently than usual, which was really saying something.

"What did they say?" I asked him as gently as I could.

He let out a long breath of air out through his nose before taking another swig from his beer. "Bree is getting married."

"Really? That's a good thing, right?" Kate asked, looking back and forth between the two of us.

He scoffed, "My little sister getting married to the biggest douchebag on the planet - hell no it's not a good thing!"

"I thought you were okay with Diego?" I inquired as Garrett appeared with our drinks.

"The guy is the biggest kiss-ass I've ever encountered," he answered. "He doesn't deserve her."

I placed a comforting hand on his forearm. "What man will ever be good enough for Bree?"

He sighed, "I know what you're thinking, but it's not just me being a protective big brother. This guy's all wrong for her."

"When's the wedding?" Kate asked.

"Next month," Edward grumbled.

My brows shot up. "So soon?"

"That's what I said!" He agreed. "But mom claims that they didn't want to wait."

"That's understandable, I guess."

"The engagement party is next weekend and they want me there for it." His eyes immediately shot up towards mine in silent question.

I was taken aback by his unspoken request, and unsure how to respond. I didn't know what to say. I mean, I just started this new job and...no, 'and' nothing. Edward was more important, and I knew that if I didn't go with him, he would be a mess by the time he came back. I also knew that if I didn't offer, he wouldn't ask. His pride wouldn't let him, regardless of what he wanted, or what was best for him.

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Immediate relief took over his entire demeanor, and it was then that I knew I was making the right decision.

"It will just be for one night," he promised. "We'll fly out Saturday morning, the party's that night and we'll be back Sunday late afternoon, early evening," He explained, reaching over to take my hand in his, giving it a quick squeeze in a silent show of thanks.

I smiled back at him and attempted to lighten the mood, "Call it even for dragging you back to Breckenridge with me for Phil's promotional party."

He laughed, "Yeah, this should just about cover it, though not quite. I'll never forgive you for putting me in the room next to your parents," He shivered in mock-disgust.

I huffed, rolling my eyes and grinning as I playfully bumped his shoulder with mine in a teasing manner.

"And why am I not invited on this trip?" Kate pouted. "I love weddings."

Edward grinned, widely, but I cut off whatever smart remark was undoubtedly going to come from his mouth with a jab to his side and he winced, giving me a chance to rectify the situation before it blows up. "Trust me, Kate, this is definitely not your scene."

She twirled her straw in between her thumb and forefinger. "I'm busy that weekend anyway."

"Oh? And what are these mysterious plans?" I leaned forward into my palm, exaggerating my interest. "Or, should I say _who_?"

Kate smiled as she looked down into her drink, using the straw to stir the ice around in her glass. "Her name is Leah. We met at that PR function last week."

"The one that fashion designer was throwing?"

She nodded. "She's was a model in the show and we... sort of hit it off."

I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Kate was interested in someone as more than a one night stand. Like Edward, she had her reasons for not doing relationships and was very premisquice ever since she lost her virginity in High School, with the looks to pull it off. Her thick wavy strawberry blonde hair was a stunning attribute to her pale blue eyes and she had a body that would make any super model jealous.

"I'm intrigued, please continue," Edward insisted with a wry smile.

"Perv," She blushed, smirking, unwilling to meet either of our eyes. "She mostly does runway, but has been in a few jeans ads for Tommy."

"That's really great, Katie," I genuinely encouraged her. The fact that she was willing to see her again spoke volumes and I really wanted her to settle down with someone she really liked, get out of the habit of sleeping around so often. Her shrink had diagnosed her with compulsive sexual behavior, or as a sex addict. However, she didn't see a problem with her lifestyle and dismissed him as a frigid prude. Edward wholeheartedly agreed with her, though he really wasn't qualified to make that assessment. Sometimes, I felt like I was a nun in comparison to these two, though that might have changed after last night.

"I haven't seen her since the function, but we've been talking a lot and agreed to see where this goes." Kate admitted before taking a sip of her diet soda.

"If that's the case, then what was that just now with Mr. 'I like all things spicy'?" Edward challenged. I bumped his arm, shooting him with a death-glare that told him to knock it off. He just smiled back at me innocently before turning his inquisitive eyes back on Kate, who shrugged.

"It's not like we're monogamous or anything. She's free to sleep with whomever she wants, as am I," her lips turned up into a salacious grin. "Speaking of..."

Garrett appeared back at our table with our orders and distributed them out to us with practiced ease. "Can I get y'all anything else to go with your meals?"

"Just some barbeque sauce, please?" I requested.

"Of course," he obliged before turning to my tablemates. "Anything else?"

"Nah, I'm good, thanks," Edward waved him off as he popped open the ketchup and poured some over his burger.

"Can I have a bottled water?" Kate asked, still eyeing him up at down like a piece of meat.

Garrett 's smile widened. "Yes, ma'am," he winked before disappearing once again.

Feeling hot, I began shrugging out of my jean jacket, and turned to lay it over my bags.

"Oh my God, what is that?" Kate gasped, and I knew she was pointing at the black and blue bite mark that was peeking out from under my white t-shirt without even having to look.

"What?" Edward asked in confusion, not having seen it yet until he turned to look at me and nearly spit out his beer. "Holy shit, Bells! We're you with a vampire last night or something?"

"Or something," I muttered, turning to face my friends. "I was with Jasper last night, remember?"

"He did this to you?" Kate's brows shot up before a slow smile overturned her features. "Wow, he must be an animal in bed." Her eager eyes bore into mine with that mischievous smile that promised no good. "You never did tell me how things went last night with that _delicious_ billionaire boss of yours."

I immediately began shaking my head. "Uh uh, no way. We are _not_ talking about this."

"Oh, come on, B! I'm dying here! You have to give me something!"

I shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to get into anything Jasper related, but knew that if I didn't give her something, she'd continue to be on me like white on rice for the rest of the day. "We had a nice time. He took me to one of his resorts for dinner and some gambling and stayed the night in one of his suites."

She stuck out her bottom lip. "That's it? No dirty details?"

"Nope!" I smirked, "But I will tell you this, I can definitely see the appeal."

"So he _was_ good?" She grinned, subconsciously leaning in as she waited for my answer.

"Oh yeah," I nodded.

She squealed, "I knew it!" Her eyes flickered down to my neck. "And this happened when he lost his load?"

I laughed at her crude description and nodded.

"Oh my God, that's so hot!" She fanned herself and anxiously leaned in. "Was he big?"

Edward winced, dropping his napkin down next to his plate. "Can we tone it down on the talk of male genitals until after I'm not within hearing rage?"

I smiled sympathetically at him, picking up a french fry and taking a bite off the end. "So what did you guys do the last few days while I was at work?"

" Eh, not much, really," Kate answered as she tossed her salad with her fork. "We've been hired to do the PR for a new restaurant that will be opening in a few weeks, so I've been doing some research. Other than that, it's been kind of boring without you here."

Somehow, I had trouble believing that was all she did while I was gone, but I decided not to press the issue.

"What about you, Ed? Do anything fun?"

He didn't reply immediately, his mouth full of a large bite from his burger. "Work, mostly. The Macavoy trial is on Monday, so we've been preparing our findings to be presented to the courts," He swallowed. "Then, Thursday, I went out to McGlynn's with Randall and Jacob for a couple of beers."

"Oh yeah? How are they doing? I haven't seen them around much lately."

" _You're_ not around much lately," he corrected me.

I let out a laugh. "It's only been a couple days."

"Whatever," he grunted. "Randall just found out Mary's pregnant."

"Really? That's great! I bet they're excited." I knew that Randall and his wife had been trying to conceive for a while now, and to hear that they'd finally did it was wonderful news. I was really happy for the couple, and reminded myself to congratulate them the next time I saw them.

"More like scared out of his wits," Edward confessed. "Sure, he knew they were trying to get pregnant, but the reality of it has him terrified."

"Well, sure, that's only to be expected," I agreed. "But once he get's used to the idea that the baby's really coming and starts to prepare for him or her, I'm willing to bet that he'll find his footing. Or, at least, that's what I've heard, anyway."

"I'll tell him you said so."

"What about that hottie, Jacob? What's he been up to?" Kate wondered with a eager grin.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Jacob isn't interested in a one nighter with you, so get over it already."

"Oh, I know. He's too busy checking out vampira, over here." She nodded in my direction. "Why you haven't agreed to date him is beyond me."

I sighed, "We've been through this. He's a great guy, and definitely a catch, but it would never work. We're too different."

"So, it doesn't have anything to do with his job being too dangerous?" Kate challenged me with a leveled stare.

I shifted, unable to meet her eyes. "No."

"Come on, Bella," she pressed undeterred. "You know his being a homicide detective puts you on edge. You do this all the time - you're afraid to get close with anyone because you think that the same thing that happened to your dad will happen to them if you get too attached."

Edward wrapped an arm around my shoulder when I didn't answer and pulled me close. "You don't always have to play it safe, you know? Some things are worth taking a chance on."

Jasper's words immediately began playing through my head at that moment, still choosing to remain quiet. _'Life's all about taking chances. Just go for it and let the chips fall where they may.'_

* * *

The rest of our meal flew by, especially since I was no longer a participant in the conversation going on around me, despite Kate and Edward's avid attempts to include me. What Kate said about me being afraid to take a chance getting attached to anyone because of what happened with my dad hit too close to home for me to ignore. She was right, of course. I was afraid, terrified, even. I couldn't risk going through what my mom did when my dad died. So I did my best to push people away so that I wouldn't get hurt. Maybe I was acting cowardly, but at least my heart was in tact.

"So, what do you guys want to do now?" Kate asked when we left the restaurant. She was in high spirits, having gotten our waiter's cell number as we tried to settle our bill. He had waved us off, insisting that it was on the house. I wasn't naive enough to think that I had anything to do with it. That was all Kate and her continuous flirting that had gotten our bill taken care of.

"I actually have to head down to the shelter for a while," I informed them, much to Kate's incredulity.

"You're joking, right? We only have like six hours before we have to leave for the event tonight!" She argued.

"Which will give me plenty of time to head down there for an hour or two before heading home to get ready," I insisted.

"Not everyone needs every one of those minutes to get ready like _some_ of us do." Edward looked down at Kate accusingly, but she paid him no mind, too focused on me and my insistence that I needed to make my rounds at one of the city's homeless shelters before heading home to get showered and dressed.

Kate knew me well enough that I wasn't going to budge on this one, and she sighed. "At least _try_ to be home by five so that I can help you do your hair and makeup? Remember, we leave at seven-thirty. It starts at eight, so, by the time we get there, we should just be late enough to be considered fashionably late."

I smiled at my best friend's stern expression and nodded. "Don't worry, I'll be home in plenty of time for you to doll me up."

"Good, you better" she reluctantly agreed, only slightly appeased. "And try not to damage my canvas. There's only so much I can do, especially with the mother of all hickeys to work on."

"Of course," I laughed placatingly before heading in the opposite direction towards the Las Vegas Rescue Mission off of Bonanza Road.

* * *

 **(Jasper's POV)**

 _Mr. Whitlock,_

 _I'll never forget this night._

 _Thank you for everything,_

 _-Isabella_

I read and reread the words on the note that Bella had left behind for what felt like the thousandth time since I'd discovered it lying on the desk in my suite at the Belfry, accompanied by the twenty-five thousand dollar chip I had given her the night before. I still had the chip, clutching it tightly in my hand as I sat in my home office at the Palm where I had taken Bella prior to leaving for dinner.

I could still feel her heated skin against mine, smell her alluring scent, hear her sweet voice as she moaned my name in the throws of passion. I couldn't get any part of her out of my head, and this was not normal for me. Usually, after I'd slept with a conquest, any and all remaining thoughts of the woman vanished and I was free to move on, no longer interested in that particular flavor once certain I'd discovered it's ingredients. But not with Bella. Her elegant flavor still held every bit of appeal, if not more so. Instead, I felt as though one taste had rendered me addicted, and I couldn't, wouldn't get enough. I was bound to her and I couldn't escape her memory. I'd never been with anyone like her before, and I was already craving more, still unable to figure out _why_ she had such a hold over me.

A knock on the door caught my attention, and I looked up to see Wheeler entering my office with a manilla envelope in his possession.

"Is that it?" I asked nodding at the documents in his hand.

"Yes, sir," he confirmed, leaning over slightly to relinquish the envelope. "Everything you requested is here, inside."

"Did you have any trouble?" I inquired as I dumped the contents onto my desk and began sorting through it.

"None."

"Good," I nodded. "I'll inform you of any further instructions."

"Yes, sir," Wheeler acknowledged before backing out of the room, closing the door behind him which left me alone with my new obsession. Sure, Isabella would be extremely displeased if she found out that I had this information, especially since this was more than just going through her employment file, which was provided on a voluntary basis, unlike this. But it was too late to turn back now. I had to know why she was affecting me this way. What was so different about her?

Inside the envelope was everything Wheeler could find regarding a one Isabella Marie Swan, including a copy of her birth certificate, high school transcripts, her father's death certificate, and her mother's marriage licence to a Phillip Anthony Biers.

I decided to start at the beginning, which was everything Wheeler could gather about what her parents were up to when she was conceived. Just as she said, her father, Charlie David Swan, was in college as a science major at the University of Colorado Boulder, while her mother, Renee Angela Montgomery, was there for a degree in accounting. They had been dating a while when they'd discovered that Renee was pregnant. Deciding on keeping the baby, they dropped out of college since they couldn't afford to pay for classes and a baby. They found a small, one story house that they were able to rent, and got married in city hall shortly after.

It appeared that neither of their families had the money to support the newly married couple, so Renee immediately got a job in the local diner as a waitress. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy for Charlie to find something that would cover most of their bills and provide adequate insurance for his family, so he ended up enlisting in the marines, sending any and all money back to his pregnant new wife.

He was fresh out of boot camp when Isabella was born, but was only able to stay in town for a couple of weeks before he was shipped out on his first tour. He continued to have the money sent to Renee and Bella, which was enough for them to comfortably get by. This continued for several years, and thanks to his attempts at a degree in science, he was eventually assigned as a consultant for the U.S. Intelligence, being promoted to Captain, which had greatly helped Renee and Bella back home.

Statements from his troops claim that their Captain was homesick and didn't plan to re-enlist when his time was up. They said he'd mentioned that his best friend, Phil, had convinced him to apply for the local police academy, going as far as handing in the application when he was at home on leave for the last time before he shipped out on his final tour.

My cell rang, breaking my focus from my reading and I looked down to see that it was Cooper calling. He was supposed to have been tailing Bella, so I rushed to answer the call.

"What's wrong?"

"Ms. Swan is heading onto Balzar Avenue near Martin Luther Boulevard," he informed me. "How would you like me to proceed?"

I grit my teeth in frustration and feared for Bella's safety. Balzar Avenue was not a safe place, especially for someone like her. The possibilities of something happening to her were extremely high around there. It was once ranked third in the nation under the top twenty-five most dangerous neighborhoods list according a consumer finance site who had examined FBI data from seventeen thousand law enforcement agencies listed on to determine neighborhoods with the highest predicted rates of violent crimes in the country. According to them, that neighborhood has a crime rate of 145.98 per 1,000 residents. That was a one in seven chance of a person becoming a crime victim in that neighborhood in one year. It was also only ten minutes away from what was rated number four in the country, a place that had similar statistics. What Bella was doing there was beyond me and turned my blood cold just thinking about it. **(A/N: This is all true information that I researched. Feel free to check it out.)**

"Keep a close watch over her, but don't make yourself known unless you have to. I'll be there as soon as I can." I informed him. "Call me with any updates."

I immediately stood, grabbing my jacket from around the back of my chair as I left my office and headed into the kitchen. It was there that I found Wheeler talking to Shelly Cope, my live-in housekeeper.

"Come on, we've got to go. I'll explain on the way." I barked out the order, and he instantly switched into work-mode, dropping the biscuit he had been munching on onto his plate in the process.

He wordlessly followed me into the elevator, pressing the button that would take us down to the private garage where all of my vehicles were safely stored. I could only pray that nothing would happen to Bella in the mean time until I got there.

 **A/N:** **Cliffy! =) So, what did everyone think of the chapter? Was the lemon worth the wait? What about the way Bella left things the next morning? Did you guys like Edward and Kate's characters now that you've met them in person? What about Jasper continuing to go behind Bella's back to research her past? Any idea what's going to happen in the next chapter? Review!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note!**

 **Kirbs85** **:** Love this story! I know you said that it is a completely original idea, and while I can see it, I can't help but see a lot of similarities to Fifty shades of grey, how Jasper and Christian are very similar in a way, and also a few scenes you wrote in chapter 4, was this intentional or completely random?

 **Bella'Xo:** _Yes, Jasper and Christian are similar in some ways, but very different in others. You will learn exactly what they are the further we delve into the story. No, the scenes in chapter 4 were not intentional. Yes, they took a helicopter ride in both stories, but I'm sure you can understand why Jasper would use a helicopter as his mode of transportation into the middle of the desert over a car. Also, as for the hobbies, Christian has his glider planes while Jasper is into base jumping. I guess you could call him a bit of an adrenaline junky in that manner. Lol. We will get more into that later on. Thanks for the review and I hope you keep reading!_

 **kirifox** _:_ If his parents were so caring and it sounds like he gets on well with them and his siblings, did someone else hurt him? Was he abducted?

 **Bella'Xo:** _It's actually a little bit more complicated than that, and I promise everything will be revealed in the future, but I don't want to give away anything yet. Plus, if I told you now, you wouldn't understand unless you've kept up with the book. Thanks for the review!_

 **To see more, go to my FF and Wattpad pages under the penname:**

 **Xo Bella Italiana oX**

 **If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page! Also, I am still accepting Twilight stories that involve Jasper/any female leads or Bella/selected male leads if anyone is looking for a Beta Reader. I will accept OC characters as well depending on the other lead character. I will also except other genres depending on the characters and the plot.**

 **PM me for details!**  
 **\- Bella'Xo**

 **Xo Bella Italiana oX**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.**

 **Life's A Gamble**

 **A/N** : **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! Also, if you'd lIke to view pictures from each chapter, you can view this story oN my Wattpad page (same penname)** **\- Bella'Xo**

* * *

 _ **Previously...  
(Jasper's POV)  
**_ **  
** _My cell rang, breaking my focus from my reading and I looked down to see that it was Cooper calling. He was supposed to have been tailing Bella, so I rushed to answer the call._

 _"What's wrong?"_

 _"Ms. Swan is heading onto Balzar Avenue near Martin Luther Boulevard," he informed me. "How would you like me to proceed?"_

 _I grit my teeth in frustration and feared for Bella's safety. Balzar Avenue was not a safe place, especially for someone like her. The possibilities of something happening to her were extremely high around there. It was once ranked third in the nation under the top twenty-five most dangerous neighborhoods list according a consumer finance site who had examined FBI data from seventeen thousand law enforcement agencies listed on to determine neighborhoods with the highest predicted rates of violent crimes in the country. According to them, that neighborhood has a crime rate of 145.98 per 1,000 residents. That was a one in seven chance of a person becoming a crime victim in that neighborhood in one year. It was also only ten minutes away from what was rated number four in the country, a place that had similar statistics. What Bella was doing there was beyond me and turned my blood cold just thinking about it. **(A/N: This is all true information that I researched. Feel free to check it out.)**_

 _"Keep a close watch over her, but don't make yourself known unless you have to. I'll be there as soon as I can." I informed him. "Call me with any updates."_

 _I immediately stood, grabbing my jacket from around the back of my chair as I left my office and headed into the kitchen. It was there that I found Wheeler talking to Shelly Cope, my live-in housekeeper._

 _"Come on, we've got to go. I'll explain on the way." I barked out the order, and he instantly switched into work-mode, dropping the biscuit he had been munching on onto his plate in the process._

 _He wordlessly followed me into the elevator, pressing the button that would take us down to the private garage where all of my vehicles were safely stored. I could only pray that nothing would happen to Bella in the mean time until I got there._

* * *

 **Chapter 7:** **Hot & Cold**

 **(Bella's POV)**

I entered through the front doors of the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, stopping momentarily to say hey to Dex, the large security guard, who was stationed near the front entrance. Not normally much of a talker, he nodded his greeting with no more than a slight twitch of his lips to mimic a smile.

I made my way through the crowded dining hall and into the back room that was adjoined with the office to drop off my jacket and messengers bag. I had been smart enough to have sent my shopping bags back home with Kate. This way, I wouldn't have to worry about leaving my expensive new pair of shoes and dress unattended in such a shady area of the city.

Using the rubber band that I religiously kept on my wrist, I pulled my hair up into a ponytail, then headed out into the kitchen to say a quick hello to the Spanish cook, Armando. He was the head of the kitchen and made all the food for the mission, along with the owner, Sam Uley, who was usually working in here as well. He was easy to spot with his customary Yankee's hat worn backwards on his head as he stood over the hot griddle, and he turned to smile when he saw me.

"Hey Bella."

"Hey," I gave him a quick kiss on his cheek as I strapped on an apron over top of my denim skirt that came down to just above my knees. "Did I make the dinner rush?"

"You know you did," he smirked at me, using a spatula to flip a hamburger, the smoke rising towards the ceiling, giving his food a smoky flavor. "You haven't missed a Saturday dinner rush since you started volunteering here nearly a year ago."

I smiled in response as I peered over his shoulder, my mouth watering despite having already eaten.

Sam could have made it big in the cooking industry, his food was amazing. But, instead, he chose to follow in his high school sweetheart's footsteps with charity work, which took up most of his free time. The mission has been in his wife's family for a long time now, and they have done a lot to help the hungry and homeless in this city, among others. To support themselves in a larger sense, Sam ran a catering service, using the mission's kitchen to cook the food before sending it out with his brother, Collin, who did most of the leg work and marketing, as well as acting as Sam's partner.

"Where's Emily?" I asked as my gaze wandered around the kitchen, wondering about Sam's wife and the co-owner of this generous establishment. "I didn't see her when I came in."

"That's because she's in back with Claire working on some homework," he explained, referring to their eight year old daughter. "But Tyler and Alice are already on the floor getting things set up if you want to give them a hand."

"Are you sure you don't need help with anything back here? It looks like you're short staffed," I pointed out, not seeing the two brothers, Zander and Jax, who usually helped Armando and Sam in the kitchen.

"Armando and I have things handled back here. Right, _amigo_?" Sam smirked, turning to Armando, who nodded, a wide grin.

" _Si_ , _Senior_ Sam."

I shook my head, and laughed. "I should have known better than to have asked."

"Probably," Sam chuckled as I headed out of the kitchen into the busy dining room.

I spotted Tyler first. He was standing in front of one of the rolling tray tables, wrapping up some clean silverware into paper napkins to hand out with the dinner trays.

"Hey Tyler."

"There she is," he grinned down at me through his light brown eyes that matched his African American skin tone. "I was wondering when you'd show."

"Did you doubt I would?" I smirked, moving to stand next to him. "Can I give you a hand with this?"

"Sure. I never turn down help." He split the stack of paper napkins and moved the utensils bin so that it was now sitting in between us. "So, what's been new with you?"

"Not much," I sighed, debating how much I was allowed to tell him. "I started a new job earlier this week."

"Oh? That's good to hear. Where at?"

Now, that was the question I'd been dreading. However, all employees at WINC Tech had been given the proper information to use on official documents and the like, so I knew exactly how to answer him.

"Whitlock Enterprises."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really?"

I nodded, reaching in the bin to grab another fork and knife.

"What do you do there?" I could hear the skepticism in his voice. He knew what I did for a living and Whitlock Enterprises wasn't known as the type of business that dabbled with the sciences. But, once again, I knew how to answer him, but it didn't make me feel any less anxious about fudging the truth, even if I wasn't technically lying when it came to the bigger picture.

"I work in their new experimental lab," I answered him coolly.

He cocked his head. "I wasn't aware they had any labs."

I shrugged, feigning indifference. "They're trying to expand their franchises."

"Hm," he hummed, nodding. "That's a pretty successful organization. You should do well there."

"So I've been hearing."

Just then, Alice appeared from behind us, grabbing my shoulders, and causing me to jump slightly in surprise. "Oh my God. Will you look at that yummy piece of man candy who's talking to Dex? He is gor-geous!"

"Huh? Who?"

I looked over to where she was now pointing, having to crane my neck in order to see over the throng of people waiting inside the mission. When I finally spotted the man who she was referring to, I had to do a double-take as my stomach dropped down to my toes.

"You have got to be kidding me," I mumbled to myself as I tossed the newly rolled silverware into the second bin with the rest that we'd be handing out.

The man that she was referring to was the same one I had been preparing myself to see again all afternoon. However, I almost didn't recognize him in such casual attire, only having seen him in a suit and tie. His light washed jeans were fitted nicely to his body and the dark leather jacket gave him the bad boy facade I'd always loved on a man. God, he was sex on a stick. But what was he doing _here_ , of all places?

I wasn't ready to see him. I thought I'd still have plenty of time to mentally go over what I'd say to him if he approached me at the gala tonight. I'd snuck out of the hotel room this morning to avoid the awkward morning-after conversation, figuring that when we saw each other again it would be at a place where the equivocal topic of our night together wouldn't be brought up in the presence of so many other people. Though, now it seemed that fate had other plans.

"You know him?" Alice's inquisitive eyes met mine, alight with excitement.

"Who doesn't?" Tyler interjected. "That's Jasper Whitlock, Billionaire business mogul." His humor-filled gaze shifted down to me.

Alice giggled, "Well, I _knew_ that. I just asking if she knew him _personally_."

I sighed, "Unfortunately."

She blanched at my response, her hand flying up to her heart in mock-offense. "Babe, I love you, but there is nothing _unfortunate_ about that fine specimen of man-candy."

I smirked at her and rolled my eyes. "You say that now, because you don't know the circumstances."

"And I'll say it again...Yum-my!" She gleamed.

"So, what's he doing here, Bella?" Tyler interrogated, looking over at me from the corner of his eye, a knowing smirk on his lips.

I was taken aback by his assumption. " _Me_? Why do you assume he's here to see me?"

He gave me a dubious look that said he wasn't buying what I was selling, and I knew the jig was up. I would have to confront this sooner than I'd wanted. At least it wasn't at the charity gala tonight where we'd be in front of the press and my new coworkers.

I sighed, tossing the last of the newly-rolled silverware into the bin. "I'll be back."

I could hear Alice quizzing Tyler for answers as I made my way around the counter, then through the maze of bodies occupying the medium-sized space as they waited for dinner to be served.

I stopped about ten feet away from where Jasper and Dex were talking. I couldn't make out what was being said over the noise, but it appeared as though Dex was giving him a hard time about the reason why he was here. The building code had a maximum number of occupants that were allowed to be inside at any given time, and, aside from the employee's, Sam and Emily preferred to keep those spots available for those who genuinely needed the mission, rather than any other outsiders who'd take up unnecessary space.

"I can take it from here, Dex," I informed the large man, speaking above the background chatter so that the pair could hear me. Their heads turned in my direction and Jasper's eyes raked over my form with what almost looked to be relief.

Dex wordlessly looked over at me before his gaze flickered back to Jasper, and then they landed back on me with a nod of approval, stepping away as he returned to his post.

"You'd think it wouldn't be so hard to get in," Jasper mumbled.

I ignored his comment, crossing my arms over my chest. "You should add stalking to your skillset."

His lip twitched, his eyes alight with mirth. "Funny, Isabella."

I sighed, "What are you even doing here, Jasper?" A thought struck me. "Seriously, have you been following me?" It felt like I was always asking him this question, but this time I couldn't fathom another reason why he'd be here.

I could have sworn I saw guilt flash in his eyes, but it was gone so fast that I could have just been imagining it.

"I was in the neighborhood when I saw you come in here," he suavely explained.

I narrowed my eyes, not buying his rationalization for why he was standing here in front of me, even though I'll admit to being secretly flattered that he would go to such lengths just to see me. "Really? You were here in _this_ neighborhood? Doesn't seem like a place that the great Jasper Whitlock would frequent."

He scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Shows how much you know." He looked around at the interior of the shelter, his expression not cluing me in to what he was thinking. "So, what? You volunteer here?"

I silently nodded, still studying him as he took in his surroundings. "I come here every Saturday to help with the dinner rush."

His eyes met mine with a hint of admiration behind his usual cocky demeanor. "How very noble of you." He appeared to be genuine, but I never knew with him.

"So I like to give back. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Not at all. I was just surprised," he answered simply.

"There's more to charity work than just hosting extravagant fundraisers and writing checks, you know?" I shot back, feeling slightly offended, though I wasn't quite sure why I felt the need to justify myself to him. "All of that means nothing without the people to back it and to put that money to good use."

"As I'm well aware, Ms. Swan." He conceded, a thoughtful smile beginning to form as he adjusted his stance, standing a little straighter. "In fact, I was just about to offer my assistance."

My eyebrows shot up. " _You_? Really?"

His lips quirked ruefully. "Yes, really. Do _you_ have a problem with that?" He asked, using my own words against me.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed, "Follow me."

* * *

As Jasper and I rounded the counter, I found that we were just in time to get ready to serve dinner. The large trays of food had just been brought out and all of the shelter's occupants were beginning to line up.

"Tyler, Alice, this is Jasper. He is going to be giving us a hand tonight," I introduced him.

"What's up, man? Nice to meet you," Tyler smiled and nodded in greeting, his hands covered with a pair of clear plastic gloves to avoid contaminating the food.

"Nice to meet you, as well," Jasper nodded politely in return.

Alice, however, seemed to have lost her voice as she stared open mouthed at him, her blue eyes wide - not that I blamed her. Jasper just smiled at her courteously before his eyes flickered back to me as he took off his leather jacket and began rolling up the sleeves of his fitted grey long sleeve designer shirt, the former costing about as much as I paid for my car, alone.

"Where do I start, boss?" He grinned cheekily.

I rolled my eyes. "First, let's put your jacket somewhere that it won't get ruined, or worse, stolen."

"That's probably a good idea," he smirked, following me through the double doors and into the kitchen. I could feel his eyes on me as we walked, but chose to ignore it for obvious reasons.

I spotted Sam over by the sink, scrubbing out a large pot as he spoke in Spanish to Armando.

"Sam?" I called for his attention.

"Yeah?" He turned to look at me, a curious brow rising when he saw Jasper standing there next to me.

"This is Jasper, he's -"

"Jasper as in Jasper Whitlock?" Sam implored, interrupting me with his shock at seeing a celebrity in his kitchen.

"Last time I checked," Jasper joked, holding out a hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Wow," Sam mused as they shook hands. "Can I help you with something?"

"Sam and his wife own the place," I explained, feeling the need to elaborate.

"Ah," Jasper responded in understanding. "I'm good, thanks. Bella, here, was just showing me a place where I can put my jacket."

"Jasper's going to help us with the dinner rush tonight," I clarified when Sam's expression morphed into confusion at Jasper's cryptic response.

He removed his Yankees hat and brushed a hand back through his hair before replacing it on his head. "Oh, well, in that case, you know where the office is, _"_ He grinned mischievously. "That's probably a safer place then the coat room, anyhow."

"Okay. Thanks, Sam," I grimaced, shooting daggers at him with my eyes and waved at Jasper to follow me over to the room where I had stashed my own belongings only a little while earlier.

I turned the corner to the closed door that led to the small office space. I knocked, knowing that the office was always kept locked for security reasons, and waited for Emily to open up, revealing a woman in her late thirties, who'd become a very good friend of mine.

"Bella," She smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm doing great, Emily, thanks." I smiled, stepping aside some so that she could get a clear view of the man behind me. "This is my friend, Jasper. He's going to help us out tonight, and Sam told us to use the office as a place to store his jacket."

The incredulity on her face was audible as she got her first full look at him, but she only took seconds to collect herself, stepping aside to make room for us to enter. "Of course, come right in!"

I motioned for Jasper to enter first, staying behind momentarily as Emily mouthed the word 'wow' once his back was turned towards us. I silently laughed, shaking my head before following him inside as she closed the door behind us in our wake.

"Bella!" I heard my name shouted from the young girl sitting in front of the desk stationed in the corner of the room. She jumped up out of her seat and ran toward me, wrapping her small arms around me in a tight embrace.

"Hey, sweetheart," I smiled down at her, completely in love with the pair of large blue eyes that looked up at me. Her long brown hair was pulled back into two french braided pig-tails, and was dressed in a red v-neck sweater that she wore over her white collared shirt, plaid tie, and pleated navy skirt; the uniform she wore to St. Anne's Catholic School. "You giving your mom a hard time today?"

She shook her head, craning her neck up to look at me. "No, I'm not."

Emily smirked, "Uh huh. She has an assignment due on Monday and has waited until the last possible minute to tell me about it."

I turned to look back down at the devious little girl in my arms. "And why is that, little miss?"

Claire looked up at me with wide eyed innocence, but I wasn't buying it. She was a con-artist in the making and, unless you knew her, you would never suspect it. "I wanted to go to M&M's World with Jackie," she answered simply.

"I never would have let her go unless she was finished the project," Emily shot her daughter a disapproving glare.

"Oh, I see," I tried to keep a straight face, but was unable to. "So you didn't tell your mom until after you got back or she wouldn't have let you go, am I right?"

The little girl sashayed back over to the desk and picked up a blue M&M, popping it between her lips, staining them blue. "May-be!"

Jasper's masculine laugh echoed around the room, sending a mass of butterflies erupting in my stomach. I had never heard him genuinely laugh like that before, and I had to admit that I rather enjoyed the sound.

His laugh had also garnered the attention of Claire, who hadn't really noticed him before now since he was standing off to the side, and her eyes lit up impishly. I internally smiled to myself, knowing that look, and that Claire had just spotted her next mark in the Billionaire behind me.

"Hi!" She smiled, making her way over to him. And, just like that, any hint of waywardness was gone, leaving an angelic eight-year-old in it's place. "What's your name?"

Amused at her cordial demeanor, Jasper squatted down to her level and smiled. "I'm Jasper."

"Nice to meet you, Jasper," she held out her hand. "I'm Claire."

"It's nice to meet you, as well." He reached out and shook her tiny hand, then watched as she made her way over to the small couch where her bookbag was stashed, pulling out a giant bag of snack-sized M&M packets.

Knowing where this was going, I peeked over at Emily, who hadn't quite caught on as of yet, and was leaning against the door watching the exchange.

"Do you like M&M's?" Claire asked Jasper as she reproached him with several snack-sized bags in hand.

"They're one of my favorites," He smiled, and her eyes flashed, pleased with his response.

"Then what would you say if I was to tell you that you could have these five bags of yummy M&M's for only five bucks?"

"Claire!" Emily gasped and placed a hand over her mouth as I began to silently laugh at the astonished look on Jasper's face.

"Really?" He asked, completely befuddled at the complete one-eighty he'd just witnessed regarding Claire's 'innocent' facade, and turned to look up at with a raised brow, silently asking me if she was serious. At my nod, he turned back to the little girl. "How about I give you a dollar instead?"

Claire's tiny hands went to her hips as she looked down at him with a scowl. "No deal. It's five bucks, take it or leave it."

Jasper's brows shot up and he sighed as he dug his wallet out of his pocket. "You drive a hard bargain, Claire. I'll take ten of them."

He pulled out a ten dollar bill and handed it to her, watching with stunned amusement as the little girl held the bill at each end up towards the light to check it's authenticity. Satisfied, she handed him the bags of M&M's after going back into her bag for the rest.

"Nice doin' business with ya."

Jasper laughed, taking the M&M's and slipping them into his jacket pocket as he straightened, looking over towards Emily and I. "I should hire her in my marketing division for negotiations. She's one savvy little business woman."

"Every mother's dream," Emily sighed, shaking her head as Claire pulled out a large roll of bills, adding the ten to the outside.

"Looks like you're not the only one she's conned into buying from her today," I noted, smirking at Jasper.

"You should see the wad of cash she has at home," Emily commented. "She has more money than I do!" Then she turned to her daughter, pointing at the desk. "Back to work, Claire."

"But mom -"

"No buts!" She shook her head. "That's what you get for waiting until the last minute. Now, scoot!"

"We need to be getting back out there, anyway," I pointed out for Claire's benefit.

"There's a coat rack right over there for you to hang your jacket up, Jasper," Emily pointed out. "No one will bother it in here."

"Thank you." He smiled charmingly before making making his way over to the old-fashioned coat rack and hung his jacket up on one of the hooks.

"I'll see you later, Claire." I winked at her and she smiled, picking up a yellow crayon and waved.

"I'll be out when we're finished in here," Emily said as she walked us out the door.

"Don't rush, we've got everything handled."

"Thank you," she smiled, relief evident in her expression, then closed the door behind us.

"Wow," Jasper said once we were alone. "That little girl...she's really quite the hustler, isn't she?."

I grinned up at him, and nodded. "You're not kidding. Emily was telling me that she'd gotten a call from her friend's mother saying that Claire had paid her daughter to do her homework all week."

"No shit!" He chuckled. "Did you know what she was doing with those M&M's when we went in?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, still smiling. "I had a hunch."

"Oh, I'm so getting you back for that! Just you wait!" He tsked as we made our way out into the kitchen, catching Sam's attention.

"What's going on?"

"Claire just conned him out of ten dollars for ten of her little packs of M&M's." I explained.

"Ouch," Sam laughed, shaking his head. "She duped you, my friend."

"Really? How so?" Jasper asked as he pushed up his sleeves, revealing the four Japanese symbols on the inside of his forearm.

"She only charged Alice fifty cents a pack," he smirked.

I watched as Jasper's eyes widened, his jaw going slightly slack before he composed himself. "Son of a..."

Sam laughed, "Yeah, she's really somethin', ain't she?"

"I'll say it again...remind me give her a job when she gets older."

* * *

I handed Jasper an apron and got him set up with a pair of gloves and tongs to serve the hotdogs and hamburgers while I got myself squared away next to him with the mashed potatoes and gravy.

"So, what's the deal with you and this place?" He asked as we began to serve the food to each occupant in line.

"What do you mean?" I asked, scooping a portion of mashed potatoes onto a plate.

"How often do you come here to work?"

I shrugged, "I try to make it in at least once a week on a Saturday, but sometimes more if they are hosting a special event." I looked up to find a familiar face in the line and smiled widely. "Hi Dewey!" I greeted the elderly man who stepped in front of the counter with shaggy grey brown hair and beard.

"Hello Bella," he greeted me.

"Extra gravy?" I asked, knowing how he liked to drown his mashed potatoes.

"Yes, please," he nodded, and I poured an extra large serving onto his plate and handed it to him. "Thank you so much."

"Anytime, Dewey," I waved him on. "I'll see you next week, okay?"

He nodded, "God bless you, Bella."

I noticed Jasper looking at me with an odd expression, and turned to him questioningly. "What?"

He shook his head, "Nothing," then redirected the conversation. "So, you said you come up here and volunteer every Saturday?" Jasper asked as he slipped on a pair of clear plastic gloves.

I nodded, "Ever since I moved here."

"She's never missed a Saturday since," Tyler added from Jasper's opposite side as he placed a scoop of corn on a plate and passed it down. "She's very committed."

"I've noticed," he smirked, "Do you guys get many volunteers here?"

Tyler and I exchanged a glance. "There's always room for more," I explained. "We do what we can with what we're given, and Sam and Emily do an awesome job with the place."

"But we could do so much more if we had the proper funds and enough volunteers," Tyler went on. "There are more needy people than you'd think out there and we can only do so much."

Jasper looked at the faces around him with a frown. "Are you saying that all of these people are homeless?"

"Not necessarily," I answered him as I handed a finished plate to an older gentleman before sending him down to Alice for drinks. "Some of them have places to live, but can't afford to feed their families, so they'll all come here for a meal."

He nodded, not really responding, a thoughtful expression on his face. "What other services do you guys provide?"

"Aside from what we are doing now, we provide beds, which are located across the courtyard around back in the larger building. We also run a learning and tutoring center, as well as a food cupboard that is filled with donated food for families who can't afford to pay grocery store prices." Tyler replied.

"Also, during the summer, we host summer camps for the inner city children." I smiled at the memory of last summer. "We try to give them an experience that they wouldn't normally get with the lifestyles they have. During that time, we host bake sales and collect donations for the following summer. The kids really enjoy that part, especially since they get to help make everything."

"Wow, it must have taken a long time to organize all of this," Jasper noted. "Especially working with what you have and off of donations."

"Well, Emily's family has been doing this a long time, so little by little more services are added," Tyler answered. "I've been close friends with their family a long time, so I've seen first hand the trials they had to overcome just to do this much. But once Sam came along and he and Collin started their catering business, things have been easier on the family. For a while, they were using their own savings to keep this place running and I knew that if they kept that up, they would become the very people they were trying so hard to help, which would have caused this place to cave in on itself."

"They sound like really generous people," Jasper complimented.

"They were," Tyler sighed. "The Youngs passed away a couple of years back, so it's been up to Emily and Sam to keep this place running."

"So, do people just come in and offer their services? Where do you get your volunteers?"

"Well, like I said, I'm a friend of the family and knew what they were doing, so I offered to help," He began, "Some just come in wanting to volunteer, like Bella, over there, while some have seen the services we provide and want to do something to contribute in some way. We get a lot of our volunteers from the church's in the area, who also send donations as well."

"Then, there's also the small portion of people who'd gotten into trouble and are sentenced to complete community service hours," I finished, smiling at the woman across the counter. "Most of those people just do work to help fix the place up, but there are an odd few who actually come in and do this type of work."

"Speaking of which," Tyler peered over at me from around Jasper's front. "Did Emily or Sam tell you about the new kid who's starting his community service hours next weekend?"

"No," I answered in surprise.

"Well, he's only fourteen, so they have him working in here with us. Apparently, he got arrested for stealing a car and taking it on a joyride."

"Oh, wow," I mused.

"What kind of car was it?" Jasper asked.

"Some SUV he found with the door left open and unattended at a gas station," he shrugged. "Alice knows more about it than I do."

I looked questioningly over at Alice.

"It was Collin's," she grinned, and I gasped, grinning at the news. "The idiot left his door wide open when he went inside the gas station to pay. When he came out, it was gone."

"He must have been pissed," I laughed.

"You better believe it!" She giggled. "He was in here on Wednesday going on about it to Sam. I guess he scratched it up or something. But it's how they came up with the idea of him coming here to work off the community service hours in exchange for Collin not pressing charges."

"Talking about me again?" A male voice asked from behind me, and I turned to look over my shoulder to find Collin standing there with a wide grin on his face. "I'm flattered."

Alice smirked, "Yeah, we were just talking about what a dumbass you were for leaving your car door open and unattended at a gas station in this part of town."

"Ouch," Collin winced, rubbing at his chest. "You know, sometimes it feels like this friendly banter you and I have is just your way of discretely insulting me."

"There's nothing discreet about it, babe."

He looked over at Tyler, pointing his thumb in Alice's direction. "How do you put up with her?"

"It's not easy, man."

"Well, at least Bella likes me," Collin appeared next to me, his green eyes alit with humor. "Right Bella?"

I rolled my eyes, smirking, noticing how Jasper stiffened at Collin's close proximity to me. "You don't need me to inflate your ego any more than it already is."

"Hey, high self-esteem is they key to a life of full of happiness," he quoted. "But seriously, how are you?"

I shrugged as I poured some gravy over a mound of mashed potatoes. "I can't complain."

"Have you decided where you're going to let me take you on our first date?"

I could sense that Jasper was about to jump in and say something, so I quickly responded. "I heard that there is a good place at the corner of Keep Dreaming and It's Never Going to Happen."

He sighed in mock-disappointment, "One of these days, you're going to say yes to me."

"But not today," I concluded just as Sam strolled out of the kitchen.

"Dude, I sent you out here to get a rolling tray, not to flirt with my staff."

Collin rolled his eyes, pushing away from the counter. "Lighten up, I was getting to that." He turned back to face me. "See you next week, Bella. Maybe I'll finally get that yes out to you then."

"Bye Collin." I laughed at his persistence.

He waved to the rest of us and followed after his brother out the door.

"Who was that?" Jasper gritted out once Collin was out of earshot.

"That's Sam's brother, Collin," I muttered, not feeling as though I owed him any explanation. "He's the co-owner of their catering service."

"He a good friend of yours?"

"For the most part, yes - not that it's any of your business."

"You _are_ my business." He hissed quietly so that only I could hear.

I glared at him. "We are so not talking about this now."

"Fine," Jasper grunted, acknowledging that now wasn't the time or place for this discussion. "But we _will_ talk about it."

"Whatever."

* * *

The next hour at the mission flew by and before I knew it, it was time for us to leave and get ready for the charity gala tonight. Jasper followed me into the back to grab his jacket from Emily as I said goodbye to the rest of the staff.

"Can I give you a lift home?" He asked as we made our way out of the front door and onto the sidewalk.

I shook my head. "It's not a long walk. I'll be fine."

Jasper frowned, "This isn't the best neighborhood. I would feel a lot better knowing you got home safe."

I adjusted the strap of my bag over my shoulder. "I'm a big girl, Jasper. I can handle myself."

"I insist," he said placing a hand on my lower back and directing me over to the sleek black limousine parked in front of the mission. "For my own piece of mind?"

I sighed, looking down at my watch. I was running kind of late, and Kate would throttle me if I wasn't home in time to get ready. Looks like I didn't have much of a choice.

"Fine," I relented, letting him walk me the rest of the way over to the car as Felix got out and opened the door.

"Mr. Whitlock, Ms. Swan," He greeted us, nodded politely.

"Hi Joe," I smiled at him, silently thanking him before climbing into the back seat.

"We are dropping Ms. Swan off at her home before heading back to the penthouse," Jasper instructed him before sliding in after me.

"Of course, sir," Felix nodded, closing the door behind him and making his way into the driver's seat.

I stared out the darkly-tinted window which was nearly impossible to see through from the outside, unsure of what to say as we pulled out onto the street and began driving away from the mission. The tension between the two of us was palpable, and yet, I wasn't sure how to break it.

Luckily, I didn't have to. However, what he said next made me wish for the silence.

"I don't like the way that Collin was talking to you."

"Unfortunately for you, you have no say in the matter." I responded without looking away from the buildings that passed us by on my right through the tinted glass.

"The hell I don't," he growled, spinning me so that I was now facing him and his heated stare, sending shivers down my spine. "You are _mine_."

* * *

 **WARNING: LEMON** **\- The following is a sexually explicit scene with an** **MA** **rating.**

 **Those who lack the maturity level or are under the age of 18 are suggested to skip down to the next scene.**

 **\- This is a courtesy provided by the author.**

* * *

Before I could so much as blink, Jasper's lips were on mine in a heated kiss, sending me and my inhibitions spiraling behind me. He took without asking, demanded without apology, and I greedily let him, wanting him to take the reigns and, at the same time, scared out of my mind that I would never get those pieces back.

Jasper traced his hands down the side of my body before hooking a hand under my knees as he pulled us towards his side of the car and eased my back down so that he was hovering over me with my legs stretched out on top of his lap. Even through my demon skirt, I could feel the electrical current crackling as he touched me.

I gasped when he trailed his lips to the sweet spot on my pulse point at the same time that he slipped his hand up the front of my shirt and palmed my breast. "Jasper."

"That's it, baby. Just feel..." He pinched my nipple, causing me to squirm. My body brushed uncontrollably against his erection, enticing a groan from him that vibrated against my body. "I love how you're so responsive to my touch. It's like we were made for each other's pleasure."

"More," I plead, reaching down with the hand that's closest to him and began to fumble with the button on his jeans.

I froze when I felt Jasper place a hand over mine, stopping me.

"Hang on." He sat up and leaned over to press a button somewhere above him. "Wheeler."

 _Shit, I'd forgotten about him_. I instantly felt my cheeks heating up with my blush as the knowledge that Felix had heard Jasper and I together, just now, became abundantly clear.

"Yes, sir?" His voice came through the speakers in the back, and, daring to look over, I saw that the privacy glass was up in a way that it hadn't been when we first climbed into the car.

I could feel Jasper's eyes on me as he spoke, "Keep driving until I tell you otherwise, but stay in the downtown area once you get there."

Felix's voice came back through the speaker, "Understood."

Jasper leaned back into me and breathed in my scent as he ran his nose from my collar bone up to my ear.

"He didn't hear us," he murmured softly, almost as though he'd read my mind and delved into my insecurities. "I told him to give us some privacy before I got in. Also, the privacy glass is sound proofed so you can be as loud and as wanton as you want," he finished, gently biting onto my ear for emphasis.

I nodded, not knowing what else to say at this point, and, before I could comprehend what happened next, Jasper shifted us with such effortless strength, tugging me across his lap where his mouth was once again on mine, kissing me fiercely.

I shoved my hands into his thick mane of hair and kissed him back. I loved the way he kissed me, relishing every sensation. It was as though he _had_ to, as if he'd lose his mind if he didn't and nearly waited too long. I sucked on his tongue, having learned how much he enjoyed it, having learned how much _I_ enjoyed it from the previous night, driving me with the desire to suck and kiss him several other places with the same eagerness, as well.

His hands found their way underneath my shirt and slid over my bare back. Feeling the prod of his erection against my hip, I moaned and shifted to straddle him. With my knees on either side of his hips, I wound my arms around his shoulders and deepened the kiss. God, I knew this was wrong, but it felt so right! I licked into his mouth, nibbling on his bottom lip as I stroked my tongue against his.

Gripping my waist, Jasper pushed me away and leaned back into the seat, his neck arching to look up at my face, his chest heaving. "What are you doing to me?"

I ran my hands downward, through the soft cotton material over his chest. The unforgiving hardness of his muscles gave under my fingers as I continued my journey. I traced the ridges of his abdomen, my mind flickering back to how he'd looked naked with his multitude of tattoos covering parts of him, adding more mystery to the man in front of me. It had been dark that night, which had been unfortunate since I hadn't been able to see exactly what each one was, but I knew they were there, regardless.

I rocked my hips against him, stroking myself with the rigid length of his member. His breath hissed out between clenched teeth as he traced my own curves with both his hands and eyes, memorizing me the same way that I was him, even through my conflicted mind. However, regardless of what was going on in my head, it was my body that seemed to have control of my needs and wants, disregarding whatever contradictions my thoughts provoked. It was like I'd crossed through a doorway that I couldn't seem to come back from, no matter how hard I tried. My brain had metaphorically been removed from my body while it continued to function on it's own, driving only by lust and the promise that it would be sated.

"I need you, Jasper," I admitted breathlessly, inhaling his scent, which had somehow become richer now that he was aroused. I thought I might be slightly intoxicated, just from the enticing smell of his skin. "You're driving me insane."

"The feeling is beyond mutual." He released my hips to cup my face and pressed his lips hard against my own. I reached between us for the fly of his jeans, freeing the button before accessing the concealed zipper. He tensed as he fell heavily into my palms, and let out a deep groan, the sound both pained and erotic. I gently squeezed him, keeping my touch deliberately tender as I pleasured him with my hands. He was so hard, like marble or stone, and hot. I slid both of my fists up his engorged length from root to tip, my breath catching when he quivered beneath me. I had to admit that there was something to be said, harnessing such power over a man like Jasper Whitlock. It was almost euphoric.

Jasper gripped my thighs as his hands slid up and over my skin, moving beneath the edges of my denim skirt. He continued onward until his thumbs found the black lace of my panties. "Your taste is so sweet," he murmured into my mouth. "There are so many things I want to do with you, starting with this, right here."

"Want me to start begging?" I stroked him with one hand as I reached for my messenger's bag, swiftly unzipping it to grab the stack of condoms that Kate religiously shoved into my possession. _'Better to be prepared and safe!'_ she always said. - _Thank you, Kate._ Sure, he'd already been inside me sans condom, but I didn't want to run the risk of making a mess of the soft leather in the limousine. Talk about embarrassing!

One of his thumbs finally slid beneath the edge of the lace, the pad sliding through the slickness of my desire.

"I've barely touched you," he whispered huskily, eyes glittering up at me with a darkness that wasn't usually there in his bright blue hues. It was something that I'd begun to notice about him, the way his eyes changed from light to dark with his mood and emotions.

"I can't help it."

"I don't want you to help it." He pushed his thumb inside me, biting his lower lip when I clenched helplessly around him. "It wouldn't be fair when I can't stop what you do to me."

"And what's that?" I panted.

He smirked, pushing his thumb upward until it was pressing on my clit. "Let's just say that it's something no other woman has ever managed to do."

My eyes remained glued to his as I ripped the foil packet open with my teeth before holding it out to him with the ring of the condom protruding from the tear. "I'm no good with these," I blushed.

His hand curled around mine. "I'm breaking all my rules with you." The seriousness of his low tone sent a burst of warmth and confidence flowing through me.

"All rules are made to be broken." Setting my hands on his set of broad shoulders for balance, I lifted up onto my knees, rising in order to gain the appropriate height needed to hover over the crown of his erection. His fingers dug into my hips and I heard a sudden 'SNAP' as he ripped my panties away. The abrupt sound accompanied with such violent action behind it suddenly spurred my desire to a fever pitch.

"Go slow," he ordered hoarsely, shifting his hips to push his pants down further. His erection brushed between my legs as he moved and I whimpered, feeling so aching and empty. It was as if the orgasms he'd given me last night had only deepened my craving for him rather than appeased it.

Jasper tensed as I wrapped my fingers tightly around him as I positioned him, tucking his wide crest against the saturated folds of my cleft. The hypnotic scent of our combined lust was heady and humid in the air around us, a seductive mix of need and pheromones that seemed to awaken nearly every cell in my body. My skin had become flushed and tingling, my breasts heavy and tender.

"God, Bella," he gasped as I lowered myself onto him, his hands flexing restlessly over my hips.

I suddenly felt like I was too exposed, and shut my eyes against the feeling. I'd wanted this intimacy with him, and yet this seemed almost too intimate. We were only inches apart, eye-to-eye, cocooned in this small space while the rest of the world streamed by all around us. It wasn't like last night when we'd had the dark as an invisible barrier to hide what we didn't want the other to see. I could practically sense his agitation, and knew he was feeling as off-center as I was.

"You're so tight." His panted words were threaded with a delicious hint of agony.

I shifted my hips, taking more of him inside me, letting him slide deeper. I sucked in a harsh breath, feeling exquisitely stretched in the best of ways.

Pressing his palm flat to my lower belly, he circled my throbbing clit with the pad of his thumb and began to massage it in slow, precise, expertly soft circles. Everything in my core clenched and tightened, pulling him deeper. Opening my eyes, I looked down at him from under heavy eyelids. He was so achingly beautiful relaxed beneath me in his fitted gray shirt and soft leather jacket, his powerful body tensing and straining with his primal need to mate.

Arching his neck, he forcefully pressed his head into the back of the seat as though we were both struggling against invisible bonds. "Ah, Christ," he bit out, grinding his teeth. "I'm not gonna last much longer."

The dark promise seemed to excite me. Sweat misted my skin as I'd become so wet and hot that I slid smoothly down the length of his sex until I'd nearly sheathed him. A breathless cry escaped my lips before I'd taken him completely to the root. He was so deep inside me that I could hardly stand it, forcing me to shift my hips from side to side as I tried my best to ease the unpredicted bite of discomfort. Nevertheless, my body didn't seem to mind that he was too big. It was quivering and rippling around him, squeezing, trembling on the brink of orgasm, of an inevitable release.

Jasper cursed and dug into my hip with his free hand, urging me to lean backward as his chest frantically rose and fell with heaving breaths. The shift in position altered my downward descent and I opened, accepting all of his glorious length. Immediately, his body temperature rose, his torso radiating the sultry heat through his layers of clothes, causing sweat to dot his upper lip.

Leaning forward, I ran my tongue along the sculpted curve, collecting the delicious saltiness with a low moan of delight. His hips churned impatiently, so I carefully lifted my hips, sliding upward a couple of inches before he halted me with that ferocious grasp he had on my hip.

"Slow," he warned again, his authoritative bite dousing me with a new wave of lust that pulsed through me down to my toes.

I lowered, slower this time, taking him into me once again, creating an oddly luscious soreness as he pushed _just_ past my internal limits. Our eyes locked on each other as the pleasure spread outward, beginning from the place where we were connected. It suddenly struck me that we were both still fully clothed, aside from our most private and intimate parts. I found that notion excruciatingly carnal, along with the erotic sounds he made. It was as if the pleasure was as extreme for him as it most certainly was for me.

Wild for him, I leaned forward to press my mouth to his as my fingers wove in to grip the sweat-damped roots of his hair. I kissed him hungerly as I rocked my hips against him, riding the maddening circles that his thumb was creating, sensing my orgasm as it continuously built with every slide of his long, thick erection into my weeping core.

I lost my mind somewhere along the way, primitive instinct taking over until my body was completely in charge of my every inhibition. I could focus on nothing but the driving urge to fuck, the urgent need that steadily grew to ride him until the tension finally burst and set me free of this grinding, unyielding hunger. Nothing else mattered; not the fact that he had the ability to break me into billions of irreparable pieces. Not the fact that this was only supposed to have been a one-time thing for one night only. Not even the fact that I was beginning to lose myself in him with the inability to get any part of me back...nothing.

"So good," I nearly sobbed, lost to him and these immeasurable sensations. "Feels...Ah, God... _too_ good."

Using both of his hands, Jasper commanded my tempo, tilting and shifting me into the perfect angle that had the big crown of his member stroking a tender, aching spot deep within me. I quivered and shook, my body beginning to tighten around him, and I instantly realized that I was going to come undone like this, from just the expert thrust of him inside me.

 _"Jasper."_

He captured me by the nape as my orgasm convulsed through my body, beginning with the fevered spasms of my core against his sex and radiating outward like a nuclear explosion until I was throbbing all over. He watched me vehemently as I fell apart, holding my gaze when I wouldn't shut my eyes, no matter how badly I wanted to. Possessed by his stare, I moaned and came, my body shivering with every pulse of pleasure.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he growled, thrusting his hips up at me, wrenching my hips down to meet his punishing strikes. He hit the end of me with each deep thrust, battering into me as I felt him grow harder and thicker.

I watched him avidly, needing to watch him when he finally fell over the edge for me. He was glorious this way, his eyes so wild with his intense need, losing their focus as his ever immaculate control began to fray, his gorgeously handsome face ravaged by the primal need to climax.

 _"Bella!"_ He came with an animalistic sound of feral ecstasy, his snarling release riveting me with its animated ferocity. His body writhed and shook as the orgasm tore through his body, his features softening for an unexpected instant with an air of vulnerability.

Cupping his face, I leaned in to brush my lips against his, offering him comfort him as forceful bursts of his gasping breaths ghosted over my cheeks.

"Bella." He wrapped his arms around me and crushed me tightly to him, pressing his damp face into the curve of my neck over my rapidly thrumming pulse.

I knew just how he felt. Stripped. Laid bare. Vulnerable. And yet, I had no desire to be anywhere else with no one but him. It was unsettling, but, at the same time, oddly satisfying.

We stayed like that for a long time, holding each other, absorbing the aftershocks. Finally, he turned his head and kissed me softly, the strokes of his tongue into my mouth soothing my ragged emotions.

"Wow," I breathed, shaking.

His mouth twitched. "Yeah."

I smiled, feeling somewhat dazed and high on this moment.

Jasper brushed the damp tendrils of hair off of my temples, his fingertips brushing almost reverently across my face. The way he was looking at me made my chest hurt. He looked stunned and...grateful, his eyes warm and tender as they faded from black back to bright blue.

"I don't want to break this moment."

Because I could hear it dangling in the air, I filled it in. "But...?"

"But I can't blow off this gala," he sighed, dropping his hands from my face. "I have a speech to give."

"Oh, right." The moment was effectively broken. I lifted myself gingerly off of him, unconsciously biting my bottom lip at the feel of him slipping wetly out of me. The friction was enough to make me want more, reigniting the fading lust. He'd barely softened.

"Damn it," he said roughly. "I want you again."

He caught me before I was able to move away, pulling an embroidered handkerchief out from somewhere before gently running it between my legs. It was a deeply intimate act, almost on par with the sex we'd just had here in the back of his limousine.

When I was dry, I settled back onto the empty seat beside him and carefully smoothed down my denim skirt over my thighs. I watched Jasper as he skillfully removed the condom and tied it off at the top before wrapping it in an available cocktail napkin, then tossed it in a cleverly hidden trash receptacle.

* * *

 **END LEMON**

* * *

After restoring his appearance, he pressed the speaker button and told Felix to head to my condo. He then settled into the seat and turned to stare out the window.

With each and every second that ticked by, I felt him withdrawing, the intimate connection that had formed between us slipping further and further away. I found myself shrinking into the corner of the seat as far away from him as I could get, mimicking the distance I felt steadily building between us. All the warmth I'd once felt retreated into an icy chill, cooling me down to the bone, enough that I instinctively pulled my jacket tightly around me. He didn't move so much as a muscle as I anxiously shifted in the leather seat beside him. It was as if he weren't even aware I was there. I could have screamed through a bullhorn and he still wouldn't have so much as flinched in my direction.

But wasn't this what I wanted? Didn't I want him to lose interest? Stop his unwavering pursuit of me so I could be free to move on without the risk of losing myself and everything I'd worked so hard for to this man? If so, then why did it feel like a punch in the gut? Why did I feel like crying? Why did I already miss him like I did? So many questions without answers...

Abruptly, Jasper leaned forward and opened the bar, pulling out a bottle of what i assumed assumed strong liquor.

Without so much as looking at me, he asked, "Bourbon?"

"Uh uh." My voice was small, but he didn't seem to notice. Or maybe it was that he just didn't care. He poured a couple of fingers into a glass and effortlessly tossed it back.

Confused and stunned, I turned to look out the tinted back window and tried to figure out what had gone so terribly wrong.

* * *

We pulled up in front of the condo in awkward silence after our spontaneous sexual encounter. We sat on opposite ends of the car as far from the other as possible. What had changed? What had I done to warrant such a cool response from the man who I'd been intimately connected to only minutes prior?

I chanced a peek over at Jasper and saw that he was still staring thoughtfully out his window, and I began to wonder if he even knew we'd arrived. Whatever it was that was running through his mind at the moment must really have him all kinds of knotted up inside.

I cleared my throat in hopes that he'd hear me. "Jasper?"

"Hm?" He fully looked over at me for the first time since we'd disengaged from the other's embrace.

"Is...is everything okay? Did I do something or...?"

He shook his head, interrupting my outspoken thought. "No, Bella. It's not you." He sighed deeply, his eyes flickering away from me and down into his lap. "I just have some shit I need to work through."

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say to that. He obviously didn't want to talk about it or he would have been more forthcoming with whatever it was that was eating at him.

"I'll see you later at the gala."

I guess this was his subtle way of kicking me out.

I gritted my teeth and nodded, choking back the words that I wanted to rebuff him with, and began to slide my way towards the door. Felix was already standing patiently just on the other side, giving Jasper and I some privacy. The man certainly deserved a sizeable raise for what he most likely had to put up with in his line of work.

"Goodbye, Jasper."

Before I could even reach for the handle, Felix had the door open and was holding out his hand to help me out of the car. I smiled up at him and allowed him to help me out of the car before closing the door behind me.

"Thank you, Felix." I smiled up at him kindly despite how I was really feeling inside. There was no reason why I had to take it out on him just because his boss was being an ass.

He nodded with an almost shy smile, which looked foreign on a man of his stature and size. "Anytime, Ms. Swan."

Adjusting my bag higher up onto my shoulder, I began to make my way up the walkway to my front porch and made my way up the concrete steps and to my front door as the black limousine gracefully pulled away from the curb and drove away.

 **A/N:** **So, what did you guys think of the chapter? Did you like Bella and her charity work? What did you think about their spontaneous acts of intimacy? Any ideas what's going through Jasper's head right now? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Review!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them at the bottom of my next Author's Note!**

 **To see more, go to my FF and Wattpad pages under the penname:**

 **Xo Bella Italiana oX**

 **If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page! Also, I am still accepting Twilight stories that involve Jasper/any female leads or Bella/selected male leads if anyone is looking for a Beta Reader. I will accept OC characters as well depending on the other lead character. I will also accept other genres depending on the characters and the plot.**

 **PM me for details!**  
 **\- Bella'Xo**

 **Xo Bella Italiana oX**


	8. Chapter 8

**Discliamer : All of the characters, plots, settings...etc. belong to me as they are my original characters and ideas that come from my imagination. I will not tolerate any theft or infringement of this story. With that said, I hope you enjoy the story and let me know what you think of it! - B**

 **Life's A Gamble**

 **A/N : Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. College this semester has been hell, so I didn't have all the time I'd have liked to update my stories! That should change now that I am on winter break for the next month or so! :-) I hope you like the new chapter! We will be meeting a bunch of new characters, some who will be playing large rolls in future chapters, and yes, Maria is one of them, as well as Jasper's family. The charity gala will be the featured setting for this chapter and the next, so enjoy!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! - Bella'Xo**

* * *

 _ **Previously...  
**_ _ **(Bella's POV)**_

 _"I'll see you later at the gala."_

 _I guess this was his subtle way of kicking me out._

 _I gritted my teeth and nodded, choking back the words that I wanted to rebuff him with, and began to slide my way towards the door. Felix was already standing patiently just on the other side, giving Jasper and I some privacy. The man certainly deserved a sizeable raise for what he most likely had to put up with in his line of work._

 _"Goodbye, Jasper."_

 _Before I could even reach for the handle, Felix had the door open and was holding out his hand to help me out of the car. I smiled up at him and allowed him to help me out of the car before closing the door behind me._

 _"Thank you, Felix." I smiled up at him kindly despite how I was really feeling inside. There was no reason why I had to take it out on him just because his boss was being an ass._

 _He nodded with an almost shy smile, which looked foreign on a man of his stature and size. "Anytime, Ms. Swan."_

 _Adjusting my bag higher up onto my shoulder, I began to make my way up the walkway to my front porch and made my way up the concrete steps and to my front door as the black limousine gracefully pulled away from the curb and drove away._

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Jealousy  
** **(Bella's POV)**

I had gotten a verbal tongue-lashing from Kate upon walking through the front door, and yet, I hadn't heard a word she said. We only had an hour and a half before we had to leave for the gala, so she thankfully kept it short, choosing to berate me as she marched me up the stairs and into my bedroom where she had already laid everything out, including my dress, jewelry and shoes.

"Hurry up and get in the shower," she instructed as she sat down in front of my vanity to finish applying her makeup. "We have absolutely no time to waste!"

"Yes, mother," I mumbled with a smirk, dropping my bag off to the side as I began stripping out of my shirt, pulling it over my head.

"Don't start with me, Bella!" She whipped around to face me. "You knew we had a lot to do before the charity gala tonight, and yet you chose to walk in an hour late! What could possibly have been so important for you to flake out on me like this?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, completely unphased by her outburst as I began unclasping my heart-shaped necklace from around my neck. "Apparently nothing."

She must've noticed how I seemed to deflate at her question, because her tense and irritated demeanor relaxed some and her worry-filled eyes became fixated on me. "Hey, are you okay? Did something happen at the mission?"

I dropped my head and sighed, not looking forward to the can of worms I was about to open up as I placed my necklace on my bedside table. "Jasper showed up."

Her eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and shock. "What? Why was he there?" Try as she might, she was not able to hide the excitement she was feeling at learning of his impromptu appearance earlier.

I shook my head as I answered her question, "I honestly don't know. He said that he was already there in the neighborhood and saw me go in, but I have trouble believing that someone like him would be in a neighborhood like that, no matter the reason."

"You think he was following you?" She slipped on one of her bangled earrings as she continued to watch me through the vanity mirror.

I pulled my bottom lip in between my teeth. "Maybe. I don't know." I let out a brief, humorless laugh. "I seem to be saying that a lot lately when it comes to him."

"What else happened?"

I looked away, my stomach dropping at her implication. "What makes you think that anything else happened?"

She gave me an equivocal look as I peeked up at her from underneath my lashes. "Bella, we've been friends our whole lives. I know you better than you know yourself at times, and you wouldn't be acting so out of sorts over something as small as running into the guy, premeditated or not."

I slowly nodded in defeat, "You're right." I turned and made my way into the large jack and jill bathroom that connected my room with Kate's. She followed me inside and waited patiently for me explain as I leaned in to the shower to turn the water on. "On the drive home...I slept with him...again," I reluctantly admitted as I turned back to her, hesitant to meet her eyes.

A salacious smile overtook her freshly made-up lips as she leaned backwards to brace herself against the sink. "Really? I thought you both agreed on that whole 'one night only' arrangement?" She asked, using finger quotes around the words.

"I know, I know!" I sighed in exasperation, raking both hands down the front of my face. "It was like I was possessed or something - like I had no control over my body no matter what my mind was telling me! It was like I had to have him."

She let out a quick laugh. "Oh honey, you don't have to explain anything to me. If I were with a man that gorgeous, and with his reputation, I would be all over that too!"

My hands froze on their way to my bra straps, and I looked up at her uneasily. "Reputation?" I asked hesitantly, unsure if I really wanted her to clarify.

She nodded, "Yeah! Haven't you heard? He's supposed to be like...a bonafide genius in the sack, and with more than enough experience to back it up."

For reasons I still haven't let myself come to terms with, a wave of jealousy crashed over me, causing a knot to form in my stomach. "Oh."

My hands continued to reach behind me to unhook my bra and I shimmied out of my skirt. It was at that moment that I remembered that I had left my destroyed thong in the back of Jasper's limo. The realization brought a blush to my cheeks, and I had to turn away from Kate to hide it before stepping into the oncoming stream of warm water.

"So, tell me," Kate's voice reached my ears as I turned to squirt a glob of shampoo into my hand. "Is he as good as they say?"

I smiled to myself at her inquisitiveness and poked my head around the curtain, allowing the small, reminiscent smile to remain pulling at my lips. "There are no words."

Her eyes lit up and she grinned widely. "You lucky bitch! I am so jealous!"

Smirking, I ducked back under the water to rinse the soap bubbles from my hair and laughed.

I hurried to quickly finish my shower before stepping back out to wrap a towel around my torso. Kate was finishing up in her bedroom, and I could hear her humming along with the music she was playing on her ipod. Being the only guy, we had allowed Edward to have the master bedroom so that he would have his own bathroom and the added privacy.

* * *

Time flew as Kate came in to help me get dressed and ready for tonight. She had begun applying my makeup when she began looking around my vanity with a puzzled expression.

"What are you looking for?" I asked her.

"Your eye pencil," she answered as she began moving things around in her quest to try and find it.

"Oh, it's in my bag," Standing, I walked over to my closet. "I took it with me to work, remember?" I reminded her as I opened the door and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Kate asked as she began winding the cord around the hair dryer to put away.

"It's not here."

"Well, where was the last place you saw it?"

My stomach dropped as I thought about.

"Shit."

"What?" She asked, redirecting her attention back onto me, her eyebrows both shooting upward towards her hairline.

"I left it at Jasper's," I reluctantly admitted before I hurried to explain. "We took the helicopter to his place and he gave me the dress and clutch and I completely spaced! I thought we were coming back, but we got so caught up and ended up staying at the hotel!"

She didn't say anything as she looked on at me with amusement. "Do you think he planned that?"

"Planned what?"

"Think about it," she began. "You'll have to see him again at some point to get your bag back. Maybe at his house?"

My jaw went slack as I tried to force the words out of my mouth. "He wouldn't...would he? I mean, we agreed only one night, right?"

Her smirk widened as she looked at me through the mirror, "We'll see, won't we?"

* * *

I continued to think on her speculation as I sat back down and allowed her to continue helping me get ready. When we were finally finished, I had to admit that I was amazed at who I saw looking back at me through the large floor-length mirror. She had fixed my hair in an over-the-shoulder twist as my long dark curls fell down my front with several loose strands framing my face. The baby pink color of my dress was a sharp contrast to my dark hair and was held up halter-style around my neck, leaving my back completely bare and visible all the way down to just above my hindquarters. The front was also dropped low, revealing plenty of cleavage that left just enough to the imagination. The entire dress was covered with sheer that sparkled and was cut higher in the front than it was the back. Kate had done my makeup to match my dress, and the gold and crystal pendant I wore matched my new pair of heels.

"Wow." Kate wore a self-satisfied grin as she looked into the mirror from over my shoulder and took in her handy work. "I would so do you right now."

I laughed, turning around to face her. "Thank you, Katie. You are spectacular, as always."

She pretended to buff her nails on her navy blue gown and winked. "I know."

"And don't forget about your amazing modesty." Edward leaned against my doorway, completely decked out in his black tuxedo, and looking handsome, as he somehow always managed to do.

"Wow, look at you!" I smiled as I approached him. "The tux looks great on you."

He shrugged, "I've never been a fan of these penguin suits."

"Are we all ready to go, then?" Kate asked as she handed me my clutch.

"I'm ready if you are," Edward answered as he pushed away from the door frame.

"Great! Then let's get out of here."

* * *

We arrived at the Bellagio at precisely ten after eight and made our way into the gigantic ballroom, both Kate and I holding onto Edward's arm as he escorted us inside.

"Wow," he murmured appraisingly as we took in the elegantly crafted ceilings and light fixtures that decorated the room, as well as all of the men dressed to the nines while the women were practically glittering in their gowns. "Swanky."

"I'll say," I agreed, feeling slightly inadequate compared to all of the beautiful women around me.

"My firm knows how to put on one hell of an event, doesn't it?" Kate grinned up proudly at Edward, who rolled his eyes.

"Bella!" I heard my name being called from off to my left, and turned to see Zafrina coming towards me in a purple strapless dress while on the arm of a tall, dark-skinned man with shortly cut black hair and dark eyes. "You made it! And you look amazing!"

"Thanks," I smiled shyly at her compliment and introduced her to Kate and Edward as she did the same with who I now knew was her previously mentioned boyfriend, Nahuel. He seemed like a really nice guy, and was clearly smitten with Zafrina. It was all in the way he was always touching her and how he looked down at her with such affection as she was talking. They really were an adorable couple.

The five of us continued to make small talk and, over all, I'd say that everyone was getting along, which was a huge relief inside itself. I had been apprehensive that Kate and Edward would feel out of place amongst my new work friends, but it seemed as though I had been worried for nothing.

"So, you're in the music industry?" Kate asked Nahuel with ill-disguised interest as she sipped from her flute of champagne.

He smiled obligingly, "Yes, I own my own label called 'Big Time Records'."

"No shit?" Edward responded. "I've heard of some big names associated with that label."

Nahuel nodded, "We've signed some really talented artists." He turned to look over his shoulder and caught the eye of a someone a couple of yards away and motioned him over. "In fact, one of the groups we signed are here tonight." He put his arm around a man with dark wavy brown hair that was just long enough to tuck behind his ears. His hazel eyes were kind and his white smile was framed by a trimmed goatee and chin strap. "Let me introduce you to Stefan Costello. He's the frontman for one of my groups called First Essence. They are fairly new to the biz, but are already taking over the charts."

"A pleasure." Stefan grinned a rather confident yet delectable smile as Nahuel introduced each of us by name, with a little help from Zafrina.

"It's awesome to meet you, man. I'm a big fan of your music." Edward said as he shook his hand.

"Thanks. My bandmates and I always enjoy meeting our fans."

"Speaking of which," Nahuel mused as he began looking around at the groups nearby. "Where are those brothers of yours?"

Stefan briefly laughed, and shook his head. "They're probably over at the bar."

"Stefan's brothers, Garrett and Vladimir are also in the group with two of their friends," Nahuel clarified when he saw the confusion on both me and Kate's faces.

"And, speak of the devil," Zafrina smiled at someone behind me, and I turned to see Jessica on the arm of a bright blonde shaggy-haired man with an eyebrow piercing above the same pair of hazel eyes that Stefan had.

"What? Were you bragging about me again, brother?" Shaggy asked with a teasing grin.

"If by bragging you mean mocking, then yeah, sure." Stefan smirked teasingly.

* * *

Our growing group continued to talk for a while longer before I excused myself, having noticed Director Howe standing off to the side while talking with a middle-aged couple, and began making my way over.

He noticed when I was a couple of yards away, and turned to me with a welcoming smile. "Isabella! You look beautiful, my dear."

"Thank you, sir." I smiled bashfully.

"Let me introduce you to Sulpicia and Aro Volturi." He turned to gesture towards the couple. "Aro is the owner of one of our major financial contributors."

"It's very nice to meet you." I acknowledged them both as they looked over me with curiosity.

"Ms. Swan is our newest hire, and a very promising one at that," Director Howe beamed at me with an emotion akin to pride shining in his eyes, momentarily stunning me. I felt myself flood with grief and yearning as I pictured how I'd hoped my dad would've acknowledged me this same way - were he alive. Endearment and pretension would shine through in the way he'd look at me, just how this man, who I've only known for such a short time, was gazing at me now.

"Is that so?" Aro's grin turned friendly, effectively bringing me back to the present. "Well then, I trust that we will be seeing great things from you, Ms. Swan."

"I will definitely do my best." I smiled.

"And what is it that you do, exactly?" Sulpicia asked somewhat bitterly, and I got the vibe that she was not as kind nor friendly as her husband immediately seemed to be.

"Isabella is one of our lab technicians," the Director responded for me. "She came highly recommended from several of my colleagues in California. Not to mention, her accomplishments that speak for themselves."

"Hm," Sulpicia humphed in a very self-deprecating manner. She turned her head to the side and lifted her champagne flute to her lips and took a sip.

Her husband leaned in to murmur in her ear. "Sulpicia," he chastised her warningly. "Let's behave ourselves, now, alright?" He shot me an apologetic glance that clearly voiced how embarrassed he was at his wife's imprudent antics. I smiled back in a way that said I understood and wouldn't take it to heart.

"Oh, Emmett, darling, there you are!" Sulpicia waved at a rather attractive man who looked to be about my age. He was obviously her son as he had similar features that came from both his parents. His curly black hair was cut short and his chocolate brown eyes had flecks of gold rimmed in them. I could tell that he was someone who took pride in his body as he was in great shape, even through his tuxedo jacket and vest.

"Mother," he nodded to her, confirming my assumptions on his parentage.

"This is our son, Emmett," Aro introduced, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "Emmett, I believe you remember my business associate, Liam Howe."

"Sir," Emmett reached forward and shook his hand politely.

"It's good to see you again," Director Howe smiled fondly at him.

Emmett's eyes flickered over to me, and he grinned, taking my hand to place a kiss on my knuckles in a rather old-timey, charming manner. "I'm Emmett Volturi."

"Isabella Swan." I returned his smile, a blush rising to my cheeks.

"Liam was just telling us that Ms. Swan is a promising new hire in his department at WINC Tech," Aro informed him, though, I had the feeling that he was telling him this for more than just informatory purposes.

"Really?" The appreciative look on Emmett's face led me to believe that he was more like his father then his mother, much to my relief. "Then perhaps we will be seeing each other again in the future."

"Oh?" I wondered. "Are you an associate of WINC Tech, then?"

He laughed, "Actually, yes."

"Emmett is actually our VP over at VT Industry," Aro explained with pride. He was obviously very pleased with his son and his success. I could only assume the the VT stood for Volturi, meaning that he worked at his father's company.

"Impressive," I smirked.

"Emmett, dear, have you seen your sister around?" Sulpicia interrupted, placing a hand on her son's arm.

He looked down at her and shrugged with an uneasy grimace. "You know Maria. I'm sure she's here somewhere."

"No need to look far," an approaching feminine voice called from my right, and I turned to see the very woman who I had seen on the gossip link that Kate had sent me, wearing a floor-length maroon dress with silver heels and matching jewelry holding onto the arm of none other than Jasper Whitlock. "I'm right here."

Jasper's eyes immediately met mine, and something flashed in them, but, other than that, he showed no other outward signs of recognition.

Sulpicia's eyes lit up at the pair and she smiled for the first time since I'd joined in on the conversation, stepping forward to embrace them and pressed a kiss to each of their cheeks. "Jasper, darling! You two look absolutely dashing together!"

The thing is, she wasn't wrong on her speculation. Maria was a truly stunning woman who looked even more beautiful in person then in the media. She was exactly the kind of woman you would expect to see on the arm of someone like Jasper with the same dark raven hair that Emmett had that was cut ramrod straight and ending just below her shoulders. Her natural tan complimented her light brown eyes that had the same golden hue that her brother's did, and it suddenly occurred to me that they must be twins.

"Good evening, everyone." Jasper's deep voice never failed to stir something inside of me, immediately sending me on edge.

"Evening, Jasper," Aro smiled, leaning in to shake his free hand as Director Howe nodded politely to his superior. "How are you doing? Quite the turnout this year."

"Yes, my family and I are very pleased with everything so far," he smiled as he shook Emmett's hand.

"And why wouldn't they be when they had someone like me to run PR for this event?" Maria asked him dotingly as she held onto his arm like life preserver in the middle of the Bering Sea. She was obviously making a statement to me and any other woman who saw them together that he was taken.

"Speaking of your family, are your parents around?" Sulpicia asked as she peered around the pair as the Director looked on in amusement.

Jasper chuckled, the sound melodic to my ears. "Last I checked, mom was arguing with the chef over his crab cakes while my dad was trying to pry her out of the kitchen."

The Director, Aro and Emmett all laughed, though Sulpicia gave a disapproving sigh. "Well, I'm sure I'll run into them later."

"Have you met Isabella?" Emmett asked, bringing everyone's attention back onto me, much to my extreme discomfort.

Jasper's intense gaze once again found mine, and he nodded. "Yes. I had the pleasure of meeting her earlier this week while I was at the compound."

"Mr. Whitlock," I gave him a fake smile with a polite nod. So, this was how he was going to play it? Fine. Two could play at this game. "If you will excuse me, I came with some friends that I should probably be getting back to.

"Allow me to escort you, then," Emmett shot me a charismatic grin as he held out his arm for me to take.

"Thank you," I agreed, taking his arm, before turning back to the group, meeting each of the Volturi's eyes, including Maria's as she studied me with a distinctly unimpressed glare. "It was lovely meeting you all," I forced out, my eyes flickering over to Director Howe's with a kind smile before they finally met Jasper's. "Mr. Whitlock."

"Ms. Swan." His voice came out with a rasp as he subtly gritted his teeth, sending chills down my spine as I forced my focus back onto Emmett.

"I'll see you all later," he told his family before he began to walk me away from the gathering.

We made our way through the throngs of people in silence and I kept an eye out for Kate or Edward, not finding them where I'd last left them before that trainwreck of a conversation took place.

"You slept with him, didn't you?" Emmett's question surprised me, and I turned to look up at him perplexed and slightly annoyed.

"Excuse me?"

He chuckled, "You don't have to play coy with me. I recognized that look in your eyes the minute he walked up with my sister hanging on his arm."

I let out a self-deprecating laugh and shook my head. "That obvious, huh?"

"No. I just have seen that look enough times to be familiar with it's meaning." He explained before leaning in slightly. "However, none of them have gotten that kind of response out of him before. He's usually much more aloof and doesn't spare them a second glance while he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of you."

I scoffed, "Yeah, whatever."

"I'm not kidding," Emmett pressed on persistently. "I could tell that he was ready to throttle me when I offered to escort you back to your friends. Even Maria saw it, which was why she was glaring at you the way she was."

I shook my head, admittingly having seen the anger that flashed in his eyes when I took Emmett's arm, but knew that none of it was relevant. "It doesn't matter. He's here with Maria, and I'm..." I trailed off momentarily, pulling my bottom lip in between my teeth and sighed. "I'm over it."

He stopped us, turning to face me. "Lie to everyone else, if you must, but don't lie to yourself."

"I don't have time for this," I looked away, unwilling to meet his challenging gaze as I subtly looked around for a familiar face to get me out of having to talk about this

"Why are you trying to act like what happened back there truly isn't bothering you?" He pressed.

I turned back to study him, confused at the fervent expression on his face as he looked down at me, a well as is persistence. "Why do you care? You don't even know me."

He quirked a brow and smirked. "You're really using that line?"

I rolled my eyes, trying to keep the smile from pulling at my lips at his good-natured humor. "Doesn't change the question behind it or make it any less puzzling."

He laughed, shaking his head in beguilement. "I like you. You're a funny girl."

"Glad I amuse you," I grinned.

He laughed again before backtracking. "But no, really, I think you'll be good for the guy. You're not the kind of girl to take shit from anyone, and I think that's what he needs. He's so used to everyone just falling at his feet to appease him that there is never anyone there to challenge him when he needs it."

"You sound like you know him really well," I observed.

"Yeah, we've been good friends since we were all teenagers," Emmett explained. "I've grown to know and care about the guy."

"Oh," I mused, and looked away, unable to look at him as I uttered my next sentence. "I can't compete with her."

"Who, Maria?" I nodded. "You've got nothing to worry about when it comes to her."

I peeked back up to him, doubt and skepticism written in both my features and sounding my voice. "The living breathing fantasy woman of every guy here? Really?"

"Not every guy," he made a face. "But yeah."

I fought to keep myself from laughing outright at the grossed out expression on his face. I was definitely really beginning to like him.

"How do you figure?"

"Call it male intuition," he answered cryptically.

However, before I could press him for more on the matter, I heard Kate call my name, and I turned to see her making her way towards me with another familiar face from today.

"Bella!" She grinned widely and sashayed her way over to me, obviously feeling good from the champagne, and yet no where near plastered. I knew from experience that she was skilled at holding her liquor.

"Hey Kate," I laughed, happy to see that she was having a good time.

"You remember Garrett?" She reached behind her and pulled over the spiky-haired waiter from the restaurant this afternoon.

"Yeah," I nodded, looking over at him. He definitely cleaned up nicely without taking away from his punk-rocker lifestyle. "It's nice to see you again."

"You too," he smiled as Kate leaned into me.

"He's the bass player for First Essence! Can you believe it?" she squealed.

I exchanged an amused glance with Emmett before turning back to her. "That's great, Katie."

It was then that she noticed Emmett standing next to me, and her eyes widened with excitement.

"Who's the hottie?" She asked none too quietly.

"I'm Emmett," he introduced himself with a laugh, having heard Kate's question.

"Kate," she smirked, placing her hand in his as he brought it up to his lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles. "My, aren't you the charmer!"

He smirked, "I do my best."

Kate shot me an impressed glance before stepping back into Garrett's side. "So, have you seen that delicious piece of man, Jasper, yet?"

I internally cringed at her callous mention of his name. "Yeah," I murmured, gesturing over her shoulder to where he and Maria were now talking with an elderly couple.

She turned to follow my line of sight and her jaw dropped. "Wait, that's the Maria you were telling me about?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because that's the owner of my PR firm! You know - the queen bitch who I told you who was out to get me?"

My eyes widened at her torpid declaration and I shot an apologetic glance over at Emmett, who laughed, much to my relief.

"What?" Kate asked, confused at having seen our exchange.

"That 'queen bitch' is my twin sister," he explained with an amused smirk. "Emmett Volturi at your service," he toasted to her.

Her expression immediately morphed into one of mortification. "Oh my God, I am so sorry!"

"Don't be," he waved her off. "She is a bitch."

"Still," Kate insisted, a rare blush staining her cheeks. "Please don't tell her I said that about her?"

"Your secret's safe with me." He made a show of sealing his lips and winked.

Relieved, Kate turned back to me. "I can't believe we didn't put it together sooner - I am so off my game this week!"

"We both are," I agreed.

We definitely should have realized that sooner. After all, Kate did work at Volturi Media & Public Relations - the answer was right in front of us, screaming at me in the face.

"So, where's Edward?" I asked wanted to change the subject and not seeing him anywhere nearby.

"Oh, he's with Stefan and your other friends over at the bar," She replied. "We were actually on our way back when we saw you."

"Well, I could use a drink," Emmett said as he gestured in the direction of the bar.

"Sure," Garrett agreed.

"I think we all could," Kate commented, noticing the look on my face as my eyes flickered back over to where Jasper and Maria still stood. He must have felt my gaze on him as he turned his head towards me, those deep bright blue eyes practically looking right through me, making me feel almost naked here in this crowded ballroom.

I kept my eyes on him, not allowing myself to look away even though I had been caught staring. There was something in those blue depths that I couldn't decipher, but before I could connect the dots, they suddenly narrowed with anger and flickered down to Emmett's hand as he wrapped an arm around my waist and leaned in to whisper into my ear.

"Walk away," he murmured, and I looked up at him questioningly. "Trust me."

I peeked back over at Jasper once more, my whole frame tensing when I saw his jaw clench at the same time that Maria caught on to what was happening and pressed herself up against his front, using her freshly manicured hand to turn his head in her direction, regardless of the elderly couple still standing there in front of them. I saw her begin to rise up onto her toes, getting ready to lean in to kiss him, but I quickly looked away, not wanting to see anything more as I turned back to Emmett with a nod.

"Okay."

Wrapping his arm tighter around my waist, he pulled me firm against his side and began to guide me over in the direction of the bar behind Kate and Garrett.

* * *

Stopping in front of the bar where everyone was gathered, I was surprised to find that our group had grown. Ben and Jared were there talking with Jessica and Vladimir, along with Mike and another man who I'd never met before. However, I had to stifle a laugh at Ben and his constant need to stand out in the comical sense. Beneath his black suede suit jacket, tie and white vest was a black shirt that was decorated with different cartoon pictures of Pepe Le Pew plastered all over it. I internally thanked him and his jesting personality as it felt good to smile at a time like this, when I was being bombarded with so many mixed emotions.

Sensing my stare, he turned, his smile widening when he saw me from behind his black-rimmed glasses.

"Bella!" He acknowledged me, clearly having had more than just a glass or two of champagne, and made his way over to me. "You sure look smokin' this evening!"

"Thanks." This time I did allow myself to laugh, relishing the pleasant feeling as he stopped in front of me, all the while wondering how it was possible that he was this tipsy before the events really had the chance to commence. "I love the shirt."

"Yeah," Emmett grinned, obviously familiar with Ben and his 'out there' type antics. "What's with that anyway, Benny? It's supposed to be black tie only."

Ben's smile turned into one of mischief and defiance as he pulled to loosen the black tie hanging around his neck. "This is a black tie, man. But I had the feeling that if this was all I wore, they'd have me arrested for public indecency. You know we can't have that kind of shit on our records!" He slurred.

Emmett shook his head. "Smart ass."

"Hey Bella," Mike waved me over. He was standing closer to the bar with Jared and the other man I'd had yet to meet.

"Hey guys," I smiled as I made my way over to the three of them, Emmett at my side.

"Wow," Jared took a step back and made a show of looking me up and down. "You look great, Bella."

"Thanks, so do you."

"Eh, I'm not really a fan of dressing up for these kinds of things." He shrugged as he pulled on the sleeve of his jacket.

"Well, you're not the only one." I gestured over at Edward, who at this point, was deep into a conversation with Stefan, Nahuel and Zafrina. "My friend, Edward, put up one hell of a fight when he found out he had to wear a tux tonight."

"Yeah? I met him earlier. He seems like a nice guy."

"He is," I smiled, looking back over at my roommate with fondness and affection.

* * *

We all continued to talk and I found that the other man with Mike was actually the on-again-off-again boyfriend he'd been telling me about, Quil. He was friendly enough and obviously crazy about Mike. I also had spotted Sue, who was making her rounds, and looked beautiful in her sparkling cream-colored evening gown. She stopped to say hello, but then had gotten distracted when she saw someone else she knew and disappeared with the promise to talk with me again later. I also saw Irina dancing with Paul, as well as her sister, Tanya. However, the latter chose to stay away, even when the former two had joined in to have a drink with our group. I felt bad for her, in a way, even if she wasn't exactly the nicest person in the world to me. It wasn't her fault she was in love with a man who didn't return those same feelings. I had noticed how she kept looking around for him and frowned when she saw him dancing with Maria Volturi.

Since our introduction, Emmett had yet to leave my side, and I was also surprised to learn that he knew all of my new friends from work due to he and his father's involvement with the company. I was really growing to like him, regardless of the fact that Maria was his evil twin.

Right now, we were standing off to the side of the dance floor, watching the couples twirling around each other in beautiful swirls of glittering colors.

"Dance with me?" He asked, holding out a hand.

I looked down and swallowed before meeting his questioning eyes.

"I don't know," I murmured hesitantly.

"Why not?" He pressed teasingly. "Don't tell me you don't know how?"

I shook my head, a small smile pulling on the left side of my mouth. "It's not that."

"Then what?" I didn't reply. "Come on? It doesn't have to mean anything."

I laughed, "No, I know that. It's just -" I paused, realizing that I really had no real reason not to accept my new friend's invitation. "You know what? Yes, I'd love to dance."

His eyebrows both rose at my sudden change of heart, but then nodded with a wide smile, "Okay, great."

He held out his hand again, and I quickly tilted my head back to down the rest of my champagne, giving me some extra liquid courage, then placed the empty glass on a passing waiter's tray before placing my hand in his. Having noticed my stunt, he laughed as he led me out onto the dance floor just as the current song was ending and a new one began.

We started out slow as Emmett led me around the ballroom in circles. He really was a talented dancer and they way he was leading made it really easy to follow his movements, especially in my new heels as they haven't yet been broken in.

"So, how did you end up working at WINC Tech?" Emmett asked as we danced.

"It's kind of a long story," I replied.

"We've got time."

I shrugged a shoulder. "Well, it was actually Director Howe who'd searched me out."

"Liam did?" I nodded. "No shit."

I tilted my head in confusion. "Why is that so shocking?"

He blew out a lungful of air. "It's not necessarily shocking, just unlike him to be the one to seek out new recruits, is all."

"Oh?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "He usually doesn't like to bring new people into the fold. I think something must've happened to make him uncomfortable with the prospect, which was why I was pleasantly surprised to find that he's really taken a shine to you."

The more I thought about it, the more of what he was saying began to make sense; why he liked to continually check in on the new hires, the meeting in his office after my first day, even some of the personal questions.

"Have you known the Director long?" I idly wondered.

"About eight years, give or take," he replied. "When my dad started grooming me for my job while I began college, he'd let me sit in during some of his meetings and introduce me to some of his associates, since they would be mine someday, too. He wanted me to be ready and to have a feel for things. Liam was one of those people, and the only one who didn't look at me like I was a nuisance who had no right to be sitting in during a private meeting."

"Have you always wanted to follow in your father's footsteps?" I asked.

He smiled shyly, "Actually, no. I was quite the rebel growing up and wanted to play football. I actually got noticed for my skills at playing by several high-end schools. But then I blew out my knee during the last game of the season and it was over, just like that."

"I'm so sorry."

He shook his head, "Don't be. It was a long time ago, and I'm kind of glad it happened. It gave me the chance to find my true passion in business."

"You're dad must have been happy that you've grown to share something you both seem to love." I mused, feeling a momentary pang in my chest at the thought that it was something my dad and I had only gotten to do for a short time before he died. And, even then, I was just a kid.

"Sure, but, don't get me wrong, my dad always encouraged me to do what I loved. He wasn't one of those dads who pushes their kids to live out the same kind of lives that they do. He was just as disappointed as I was when my accident happened." He explained, then frowned. "My mom, on the other hand...she's a different story, and Maria's grown to be just like her."

"Do you not get along with your sister?" They were twins, after all, and every set of twins I've ever heard of are always attached at the hip.

"Sometimes we do," he answered honestly. "Others...well, let's just say that we have a vast difference in opinion."

We both laughed at that, and he twirled me under his arm before quickly dipping me and placing me back onto my feet.

"So, what about you?" He began. "Any brothers or sisters?"

"An older brother," I answered. "He lives back in Colorado, but travels all over for his job."

"Is that where you're from? Colorado?"

I nodded, "A small town called Breckenridge."

"Ah," he grinned. "Like the beer."

"Exactly," I smirked, then tensed when I noticed Jasper making a beeline for us, his hands balled tightly into fists at his sides.

Emmett noticed my tense change and turned us so he could follow where my line of sight had been. However, he didn't need to look far.

"I'm cutting in," Jasper gritted out as he stopped right in front of us.

Smirking, Emmett made a show of removing his hands from me and stepped back. "No need to be a dick about it, Whitlock. All you had to do was ask." He then shot me a quick wink before striding off in the opposite direction.

Before I could turn my back on him and make my escape, Jasper's hand snapped out to grab me by my elbow, spinning me around to face him as his other arm slipped around my waist, pulling me firmly against his front and taking my other hand in his as we began to dance, my body once again surrendering to his control.

"What are you doing?" He hissed out through a clenched jaw, his normally light blue eyes having turned as dark as night while we began to move around on the dance floor.

I scoffed. The nerve of this man!

"What am I doing? What about you?" I spat, but, as always, he had a way of turning things around on me like it was all my doing.

"Stay away from Emmett Volturi," he warned.

Ugh, his audacity was astounding!

"You're one to talk!" I clipped back. "You and Maria have been attached at the hip all night, and you get mad at me for dancing with someone?"

He scoffed, "You've been doing a hell of a lot more than just dancing. I've seen the way he's been touching you." He spun me outwards before spinning me back into him. "I don't like others touching what's mine."

It took everything I had in me, right then, not to stomp down hard on his foot with my four-and-a-half inch heel and then walk off, but I had more important things on the line, such as my reputation and job. I was not going to let a man like Jasper Whitlock ruin that for me.

Instead, I just continued to dance as I zeroed in on him with a glare. "Well, you should have thought about that before."

"Before what?"

"Gee, where should I start?" I pretended to ponder my options. "Could it be before your hot and cold charade in the limo earlier this evening? Or the way you acted like you barely even knew me in front of my boss and the Volturi's? Or better yet, before you showed up here tonight with her!"

His jaw ticked. "I didn't come here with Maria."

I guffawed and rolled my eyes as the song came to an end. "You know what, Jasper? It doesn't matter - none of this does. We agreed on one night only, and that night has already come and gone."

His eyes seemed to flash down dangerously at my casual dismissal. "If that's the case, then what was all that in the limo earlier?" He growled.

"Call it what you want: a mistake, a bonus, a lapse in judgement, I don't care. You got what you wanted from me. Just know that I'm done with this game you've started that I never agreed on playing."

I forcefully stepped away from him, and went to turn away towards the crowded area surrounding the dance floor, having said what I needed to say, but froze when I nearly ran smack dab into the most dazzling middle-aged couple I'd ever seen, and eminently blushed at my clumsiness.

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, dear. No harm done," the woman smiled warmly.

Jasper stepped up from behind me, his once hostile expression morphing into one of tensed affection as he greeted the pair. "Mom, Dad."

I felt myself pale before blushing feverishly with embarrassment as he addressed them, realizing that this beautiful couple was actually Jasper's parents, the infamous Esme and Carlisle Whitlock.

"Allow me to introduce Isabella Swan," he said as he gestured to me, placing a hand on my lower back. "Isabella, this is my mom, Esme, and my dad, Carlisle."

I nodded to them politely and forced myself to speak through the strained atmosphere that was bouncing between Jasper and I. "It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Whitlock."

"Likewise," Carlisle nodded as he reached forward to shake my hand. "Please, call me Carlisle."

I smiled, the blush still evident on my cheeks. "Okay, Carlisle."

"You two made quite the pair out there on the dance floor," Esme noted with a fond smile as she looked between her son and I. "See, Jasper? I told you those ballroom dance classes would pay off."

He chuckled, "Yes. Nothing like ballroom dancing to impress the guys at school."

"Oh, you!" She laughed as she playfully waved him off, and I took those couple of seconds to study the pair.

Esme was a classic beauty with a youthful glow about her. Her hair was a light reddish brown that was thick with wide curls that fell down just past her collarbone. Her eyes were hazel and had a kindness in them that made you feel comfortable in her presence. She wore a chocolate brown off the shoulder evening gown and had a black and maroon shawl wrapped loosely around her. Carlisle, on the other hand, looked much more like Jasper with his blue eyes and blonde hair that had wisps of grey scattered throughout it. They even had the same smile full of straight white teeth.

"So, Isabella, am I right in my assumption that you work with Jasper, here?" Carlisle asked, putting an arm around his wife.

"Yes sir," I nodded, flashing my eyes up toward Jasper, unsure of how much his family knew and what I was allowed to talk about regarding the secret facility.

"May I ask what department you work in? Financials? Marketing, perhaps?" Esme inquired, and Jasper cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Isabella actually works on the other premises, mom," He clarified as realization took over their features.

"Oh!" She nodded slowly in understanding.

"You must be a bright young woman, then." Carlisle smiled.

"She's absolutely brilliant." Jasper's words surprised me and made me look up at him in wonderment. Why was he so confusing? Just when I thought I had him figured out, he goes and says something like that. Things were never just black and white with him.

God, it would just be so much easier...

"Would you all excuse me for a minute, please?" I managed to ask, needing to get away from this man who caused me so much internal agitation with all these contradicting emotions that I was losing myself within.

"Is everything alright, dear?" Esme asked with a hint of maternal concern. "You seem a little flushed."

I forced a smile in her direction, genuinely touched that she really seemed to care. "I'm fine. I think I just need to get some air. All that dancing has worn me out."

She studied me for a moment, then nodded, seemingly appeased. "Okay. I hope we talk again soon. It was a pleasure meeting you, Isabella."

"You too."

"Would you like me to escort you?" Jasper asked as he eyed me skeptically.

I shook my head adamantly, "No, stay and talk with your parents. I'm fine."

He nodded, though his expression didn't change, and I could still feel it beating heavily on me as I slipped away from him as quickly as I could. Off to the side, I noticed a sign for the ladies room and made my way over before pulling open the door and stepping inside. The bathroom attendant smiled and nodded, watching as I tucked myself into one of the stalls where I sat down to take a breather away from any and all prying eyes.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before I heard someone else come inside and I peeked under the door to see the bottom of a maroon dress and a pair of gold stilettos standing just in front of my stall. I didn't need to see her face to know that it was Maria, and knew that it definitely was not a coincidence that she was in here with me at the exact same time.

Well, I might as well get this over with - I can't hide in here forever.

Standing up and smoothing down my dress, I stepped out of the stall and stopped in front of the sink to wash my hands, not sparing Maria a second glance. I could feel her eyes on me, studying my reflection with that judgemental stare I'd been feeling from her direction all night.

"You're not his usual type, you know?" She finally commented, but I refused to give her the satisfaction of looking her way as I ran my hands under the warm water. It was then that I noticed that the bathroom attendant was no longer at her post near the door, and, again, I knew that this was no mere coincidence.

Wow, she really means business.

"And what's the point in telling me this? Are you saying that you are?" I can't help but to internally cringe at that, because I knew that she actually did fit the bill for who I'd picture Jasper to be dating.

So much for being witty.

Maria laughed snidely. "Oh sweetie, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. He is going to chew you up and spit you out before you even know what's coming."

I finally turned to face her. "Why do you even care? What is or isn't between Jasper and I is none of your business."

She smirked as she looked me up and down. "Isabella, is it? Anything to do with Jasper is my business. And I do my best to make sure it stays that way."

I momentarily stared at her before letting out a brief laugh. "I'm pretty sure that he's a big boy and can take care of himself."

She smiled cattily. "Jasper and I have known each other since we were kids. He's young, gorgeous, rich, and enjoying it. If you think he's going to commit to someone like you, then you really are that naive." Her condescending tone was really beginning to grate on my nerves. "So, here's a little piece of advice. Jasper never keeps his conquests around for long after he fucks them. He gets bored easily and doesn't do predictability. And you are just all kinds of predictable."

"Do you have a point, or do you just like hearing yourself talk?" I asked as I crossed my arms over my chest, completely ready to be finished with this bitch and her backbiting, know-it-all attitude.

She scowled and leaned in towards me slightly. "My point is that you won't be around long after you fuck him. And when that time comes, just know that it'll be me that he turns to afterwards," she finished, her lips morphing up into a sadistic smirk, and I felt my stomach drop, sensing the truth in her back-biting, two-bit comments as I think back to earlier this evening in the limo, and the way he was so hot one minute and freezing cold the next.

"Oh my God," she mused, her hand coming up to cover her freshly-glossed lips, mirth glistening in her eyes as she looked at me. "You've already fucked him, haven't you?" She let out a short amused, yet condescending laugh. "Well, it won't be long now." She paused, her smile widening with glee. "I'll be looking forward to tasting that talented tongue of his. After all, I'm in it for the long haul, sweetie."

I continued to stand there frozen, not knowing what else to say, and, at the same time, not wanting her to know that her words were affecting me the way they were. I felt physically sick to my stomach and dizzy, needing to get out of there, but unable to make my body move to retreat.

Just then, the stall door at the very end of the row flew open, and a girl, who might have been a year or two my junior, stormed over, obviously angry about something. She looked somehow familiar, though I couldn't picture where I'd met her, but didn't have time to think on it as she stopped next to me and squared her shoulders as if preparing herself for a conflict.

Chancing a look back over at Maria, I see that she's paled somewhat and is forcing a pleasant smile to the very lips that were, just moments ago, speaking the protruding words that had me feeling dizzy.

"What do you think you're doing?" The girl asked, her hands mounted on her hips as she stared Maria down.

"Oh, nothing," Maria answered dismissively. "Just getting to know Isabella, here, and -"

"Save it," the girl cut her off. "I heard how you were 'getting to know' her, and can honestly say that I won't be the only one who's pissed at your fine introduction."

And, just like that, Maria's innocent demeanor took a nose-dive as she narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest in a defensive maneuver. "Why don't you do us all a favor and mind your own business, Jane?"

Jane? As in Jane Whitlock - Jasper's sister? No wonder she looked so familiar - she has Jasper's mother's same hazel eyes and their father's honey blonde hair.

"My brother actually is my business, and, despite what you'd like to think, he isn't yours, and never will be, as I'm sure he's told you many times." Jane retorted, reaching down and grabbing my hand. "Don't let me catch you interfering again, or I'll make sure Jasper hears about what a pretentious little bitch you really are."

Maria straightened her back and shifted slightly, obviously intimidated by the younger girl's threat. "You wouldn't."

"Just try me," She hissed before she began to pull me out of the bathroom, leaving the ice queen to hopefully thaw out on her own.

Once we were back in the ballroom, I took the time to get a better look at my savior. Just like the rest of her family, she was stunningly beautiful. Her blonde hair was cut short and angled longer to her chin in the front than the bob in the back with bright red tips to match her dress.

"I'm sorry you had to have that happen to you back there," she finally said, being the first to speak.

"Oh, um...it's fine...really." I'm at a loss for words and honestly don't know what else to say except, "Thank you."

"It was no trouble," she smiled empathetically. "She wasn't always like that, you know? We were actually friends once upon a time."

"What happened - if you don't mind me asking?" We each picked up a fresh flute of champagne from one of the passing waiters.

"She started high school. Then, it was like she was too good to hang out with a middle schooler who was three years younger than her. She became all about herself and always worried about getting Jasper's attention." She explained. "Any kindness she showed me from that point on was all fake just to stay in his good graces."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she said dismissively. "I don't need that kind of negativity around me. It's bad enough that I have to put up with it during family get-togethers."

I shook my head, thoughtfully. "How can Emmett be so down to earth and pleasant while she's..."

"A self-serving bitch with her own agenda?"

"I was going to say she's like his polar opposite, but your description works too." I cracked a smile, unable to remain straight-faced at her blunt way of stating the obvious, which quickly faded. "Can I ask why you did what you did, sticking up for me in there?"

She didn't answer right away, taking a sip of her drink and swallowing before she finally spoke. "I saw the way he's been looking at you all night. I've never seen him look at anyone like that, even when you were dancing with Emmett," she shrugged, and an affectionate smile lit up her features, making her appear more beautiful than she was before. "And I couldn't let Maria, of all people, ruin that by scaring you off."

I stood there stunned, honestly not knowing how to respond to something like that. How could I tell her that her actions to help me tonight were all done in vain, because there was nothing between her brother and I? The answer was simple, because I just couldn't. So, instead, I forced a small smile to my lips and sipped my champagne, needing more of the liquid courage for the second time this evening, especially if I was going to have to continue on like this.

"Janie!" A male voice suddenly called from off to my left, and I turned to see an attractive man with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes making his way over to us. "Come on, they're getting ready to start. Mom and Dad sent me over to see what was taking you so fucking long."

Jane smiled apologetically, turning to me as the man, who I now knew to be another one of her brothers, stopped next to us, doing a double \\-take when he saw that she wasn't alone.

"Shit, I'm sorry," he grinned, revealing a white smile.

"Isabella, this is my oldest brother, Peter." She turned to look up at him slightly. "Peter, this is Isabella. She's a friend of Jasper's."

"It's Bella," I corrected as politely as I could.

"Yeah, I saw you guys together out there. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," I replied, shaking his hand.

"Are you here alone? If so, you're more than welcome to join us at our table." Jane asked.

"Oh, um, I'm actually here with my two roommates... who I should probably go find. Maybe another time?" I asked, thrown by her offer.

"Definitely." She opened her clutch and pulled out a white business card with her information written in black cursive writing. "My cell number is on the back. Give me a call sometime? We'll get together for lunch or something."

"Sure," I smiled and made a show of slipping the card into my handbag. "And thanks again, for...well, you know."

"Don't mention it," she winked before she and Peter waved their farewells and disappeared off into a nearby crowd.

 **A/N** **: So sorry for the gap between chapters. College this semester has been hell! But how did you guys like the chapter? Any thoughts on the tense interactions between Jasper and Bella? What did you think about the new characters introduced in this chapter? Do you think Emmett is as genuine as he seems, or is he as back-biting and manipulative as his twin, Maria? And what's the deal with their parents? I'd love to hear what everyone has to say!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I'll answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter!**

 **To see more, go to my FF and Wattpad pages under the penname:**

 **Xo Bella Italiana oX**

 **If you enjoyed this story so far, check out some of my other stories on my FanFiction page! Also, I am still accepting Twilight stories that involve Jasper/any female leads or Bella/selected male leads if anyone is looking for a Beta Reader. I will accept OC characters as well depending on the other lead character. I will also accept other genres depending on the characters and the plot.**

 **PM me for details!**

 **\- Bella'Xo**

 **Xo Bella Italiana oX**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.  
**

 **Life's A Gamble**

 **A/N** **: If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! - Bella'Xo**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE BEFORE YOU BEGIN READING** **: Everything you will read in the upcoming chapters about the foster care system and children around the world is factual with true statistics that have been researched. Even though Jasper's charity is non-existent, there are tons of children's charities, amongst others, that are doing their best to help these kids, and any donations would be helpful to any other those charities :-) Thanks, and happy reading!**

* * *

 ** _Previously…_**  
 ** _(Isabella's POV)_**

 _"Isabella, this is my oldest brother, Peter." She turned to look up at him slightly. "Peter, this is Isabella. She's a friend of Jasper's."_

 _"Yeah, I saw you guys together out there. It's nice to meet you."_

 _"Likewise," I replied, shaking his hand._

 _"Are you here alone? If so, you're more than welcome to join us at our table." Jane asked._

 _"Oh, um, I'm actually here with my two roommates... who I should probably go find. Maybe another time?" I asked, thrown by her offer._

 _"Definitely." She opened her clutch and pulled out a white business card with her information written in black cursive writing. "My cell number is on the back. Give me a call sometime? We'll get together for lunch or something."_

 _"Sure," I smiled and made a show of slipping the card into my handbag. "And thanks again, for...well, you know."_

 _"Don't mention it," she winked before she and Peter waved their farewells and disappeared off into a nearby crowd._

* * *

 **Chapter 9 :** **Bids & Winnings  
** **(Jasper's POV)**

I ran both of my hands through my hair with an exacerbatory sigh. This night was not turning out like I thought it would, and it was all because of the presence of one individual.

 _Isabella Swan...God, that woman had me tied up in knots._

When I'd finally gotten away from my parents, I'd ducked through the crowded ballroom and made it out onto a secluded spot on the terrace. I was relishing the rare opportunity for privacy and the time alone I had been provided to get my shit together - or that was the goal, at least.

I began fumbling through my pockets, looking for the note she'd written along with the expensive poker chip I'd prized her with. I just didn't have it in me to cash it in, finding that the memory attached to the expensive piece of plastic was worth much more than the twenty-five grand it represented. And she gave it back to me...I just couldn't believe it, and yet, here it was.

There was so much that I couldn't wrap my head around when it came to Isabella, and who I was when we were together. I was speaking words I'd never normally say, doing things I'd never ordinarily do. Like having unprotected sex, for example. That was something I never did with any woman, no matter what the situation was or called for, and it wasn't just about protecting myself from STI's or HIV. Money changed people, corrupted them into doing things that they would never normally consider just for a piece of it. I'd even been educated early on to be the one to supply my own protection after having caught a woman poking holes in the condoms she'd brought. Needless to say, I'd learned my lesson after that. So, what was I doing - having unprotected sex with a woman I'd barely known a week? It was just the thought of something between us, keeping me from claiming her from the inside out, skin to skin, angered me beyond reason.

It wasn't until after we were intimate in the limo that something inside me snapped, and - to be honest - it scared the living shit out of me. The feelings she'd inspired inside of me were unlike anything I'd ever felt before - for anyone - and they all came at me in one fell swoop.

I'd choked - that's the only way to describe what had happened. I just needed the time and space to work everything out in my head, and, if I'm being honest, in my heart.

I could understand her anger at me, I really could. But if she thought that one night together would be enough for me, to sate my intense attraction and need for her, then she was clearly misinformed. Either that, or she was out of her mind, crazy. One night with her would never be enough to fully sate the vigorous feelings that were growing ever steadily within me for the first time in my life. And, try as I might, they were feelings that I couldn't take apart and break down, because, in the end, her face with those big soulful eyes that never failed to see through to my very soul, would be all that's left. It was because of who she was and what she represented that made me feel the way I did. This amazing, beautiful, selfless woman, who gave every bit of herself to everyone lucky enough to be a part of her life, and I was hell-bent on being the one able to give it all back to her in a way she deserved.

"Dude, there you are!" I heard Peter's voice coming up from behind me, and I turned to see him and Jane making their way towards me from the ballroom.

"You found me," I gave them a slight smile, turning to lean against the stone barricade that separated the terrace from the gardens. "What's going on?"

"They're getting ready to start in there," he replied, taking a seat next to me on the railing, and I peered down at my watch, finding that we only had another ten minutes before dinner began, along with the speeches over desert.

"What's on your mind?" Jane asked, always being able to sense when something was troubling me.

I shook my head, "It's nothing I can't handle."

Her expression told me that she knew there was more I wasn't saying, but would leave it alone, for now, anyway.

"I met your friend, Bella," she informed me nonchalantly.

"Oh?" I tried my best to appear disinterested, but I knew I wasn't fooling anyone.

"We both did," Peter added with a wry smile. "She's one fine piece of ass, if I'd ever seen one."

I gritted my teeth and did my best to push down the anger I felt at his blatant disrespect of the woman I was coming to care about. "Don't talk about her like that, man."

He raised his hands in surrender, his smile widening. "My bad. I just meant to say that she was a real beauty."

"Yeah," I agreed. "But she's much more than that." I noticed my brother and sister exchange a glance before Jane took a large sip from her champagne flute. "What?" I pressed, suddenly feeling uneasy. Did they know something that I didn't?

"I'd be careful if I were you," Peter began. "Not with her, per say, but..."

His eyes flickered over to Jane, and she sighed, "I caught Maria cornering her in the ladies room."

Confusion and dread filled me at my sister's revelation. "Cornered her? How?"

"You know," Peter began, "she got her alone and went off on her for her involvement with you."

I felt my blood begin to boil, and balled my fists at my side. Jesus, when will that woman ever learn to stay out of my business? I could've cared less if it was someone I was just fucking around with, but Bella was different.

"What did she say to her?" I needed to know how much damage control would need to be done, on top of the problems Bella was already having when it came down to me.

"You don't want to know word for word," Peter shook his head, obviously already having been filled in by our sister. "But, from what Janie says, she basically warned her away from you, among other things."

"What other things?" I pressed, relentless in my pursuit to find out what my 'friend' was doing to sabotage whatever I had left with Isabella.

"He's not going to let this go, Pete," Jane murmured meaningfully.

"Damn right, I'm not! Now, tell me!"

She shifted on her feet, refusing to meet my eyes, and sighed. "She told her that her place in your life wasn't a permanent thing, and that, when you dumped her, she would be in your bed as the woman who you turned to."

"Damnit!" I hissed, feeling that darkness inside me beginning to boil over as I rounded on my siblings. "What else?"

"I believe the words she used at one point were that you'd 'chew her up and spit her out before she even knew what was coming'," Peter answered bravely, looking over at Jane to make sure he'd repeated it correctly.

Jane nodded, "She was giving it right back to her at first, but after she told her that you got bored easily and would lose interest after you slept with her, she got really quiet, and just stood there, taking it, while Maria kept going on with her bull shit. I finally had to go over there and pull her away, but not before giving a few digs back to the bitch, myself," She admitted.

I let out a long breath, trying to calm myself down before it reached the point of no return at such an inopportune moment. "Thanks for that."

"It's no problem, really," she smiled. "Isabella is a nice girl and didn't deserve what Maria was saying to her."

"I'll have to have a talk with her," I sighed. "She shouldn't be putting her nose into places where it doesn't belong."

"I don't understand why you're friends with her at all," Jane crossed her arms indignantly. "She's horrible."

"She's not usually this bad," I tried to defend my childhood friend. "I just don't know what's gotten into her tonight."

"You like this one," Peter supplied, "And Maria sees it just as much as the rest of us do. You know she's been crazy about you since we all were kids."

I rolled my eyes, "It's not like that."

"Are you sure?" He pressed. "Because you've slept with her enough times to make her think otherwise."

Shit, he was right. It was true that I had fucked her on numerous occasions in between flings, but I never thought she took it as anything more than it was. I guess this really is my fault.

"I'll talk to her," was all I said, effectively letting them know that the discussion was over and not up for debate.

"We'd better get in there, anyway," Jane reminded us. "People won't be happy if we're not there when they start."

"Yeah, she's right," Peter agreed, hopping down off the stone railing that ran along the terrace balcony. "And I refuse to endure mom's wrath, so let's go!"

Knowing he was right, my sister and I quickly followed behind him as we headed inside, just as everyone was taking their seats around their tables.

As I walked along the side, I noticed Bella making her way over to a table where I recognized a lot of employees that worked over at the lab, along with some unfamiliar faces. I wanted to march over there so badly to straighten out this whole mess, but knew that I didn't have the time as I noticed my mother anxiously wringing a handkerchief in her hands as she scanned the audience for the three of us. My dad was seated nearby at our table next to my younger brother, Alec, who sat quietly, keeping to himself.

I sighed, knowing that I needed to do this, but would do whatever I had to in order to clean up this mess with Bella before the night's end.

* * *

 **(Bella's POV)**

I found Kate and Edward already seated at one of the large circular tables off to the side near the double doors that led out to the terrace. The majority of my friends from work occupied the other chairs, along with Quil, Nahuel, Garrett, Stefan and Vladimir. The only open seat left was in between Kate and Jared, so I silently took it just as an unfamiliar man took the mike.

"Good evening, everyone," he began, holding his flute of champagne confidently as he spoke. "I'd like to welcome you all to the 5th Annual Children's Fundraising Gala, graciously hosted by Whitlock Enterprises, here, at the Bellagio." Applause echoed throughout the room as everyone clapped, and, once we were quieted, the man at the podium continued. "To begin, I am honored to introduce the CEO and Founder of Whitlock Enterprises, as well as the Head of the 'Kids Now Children's Charity', Mr. Jasper Whitlock."

Again, the audience began to clap as Jasper climbed up onto the stage, a charming smile settled on his handsome face. He shook the man's hand once he got to the podium, then turned to face the crowd as the applause died down without so much as a word or gesture from him. The man just oozed charisma and self-confidence, and was obvious to anyone who saw him that he was gifted when it came to taming large groups, such as this, as everyone's eyes were fixed firmly to the stage, waiting with baited breath to see what he'd have to say.

"Good evening," Jasper's voice echoed around the room as he spoke into the microphone. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Jasper Whitlock, and, I would like to start off by informing everyone that my family has had our own close encounter with the Foster Care System." As he said this, I caught him looking fixedly at his table, where his parents sat next to a boy with dirty blonde hair, who couldn't be any older than fifteen years. "Now, I won't go into detail regarding our experiences, but I first and foremost wanted you all to know that this is a cause near and dear to my family and I, and we appreciate each and every one of you who showed up here tonight to show your support.

"To start, I feel the need to inform you that well over 510,000 American children are presently enrolled in foster care, having been taken away from their families during a crisis, or because they, for one reason or another, can't take care of them. Now, that's just in our country, alone. Around the world, there are an estimated 153 million kids who have lost one parent, while there are 17,900,000 orphans who have lost both of their parents. Those children are currently scattered about in orphanages, or are living out on the streets where they lack the proper care and attention required for healthy development. These kids are seriously at risk for disease, malnutrition, and death. You see, there aren't enough foster families out there to take them in. There isn't enough money to provide for them the things that every child needs, and should have growing up. There aren't enough people to help them, mentor them, or to simply cheer them up and give them the hope they require for a brighter future. And what does that future look like, you ask? Well, if nothing changes by the year 2020, 22,500 children will die from abuse or neglect, most of them before their fifth birthday. Over 10.5 million children will spend some time in foster care while more than 300,000 of those children will age out of the foster care system, some in poor health and many unprepared for success in higher education, technical college or the workforce. 75,000 former foster youths, who aged out of the system, will experience the homelessness occurring to children around the world, and suffer those very same consequences. However, if we all work together, we can change that grisly outcome and save as many of those children as we can from that fate."

Jasper had my attention glued to him throughout his entire speech as he talked about ways that the Kids Now Children's Charity planned on helping these kids and the things that can be made possible with the proper assistance. He spoke of how they planned to ensure that each child who lives in foster care is prepared for the real world and how they will help them achieve goals at higher education, to make a life for themselves, as well as making sure that each child has what he or she needs while growing up, whether that be housing, tutoring, therapy, medical attention, or nutritional amenities. I was in awe and deeply moved by him and the entire charity for their work, as this cause, along with the entire aspect, is something very personal to me from my past.

When Jasper concluded his speech, I jumped to my feet as I applauded him, surprising everyone at the table as they looked up at me in shock, Jasper included as he made his way away from the podium. But I didn't care. I was a jumbled mess of emotions inside and felt the need to show my support in any way that I could.

Jane took to the stage next and briefly explained that all donations could be made to the Kids Now Children's Charity, and explained that for those who either wanted to (themselves) or else knew someone who wanted to become a foster parent, to feel free to contact the charity at their headquarters here in Las Vegas.

* * *

Following the speeches, the waiters began to hand out the starting courses, followed by a delicious dinner, and then an even more amazing desert. As everyone sipped their coffee or tea and nibbled on their creamy slices of cheesecake, the same man who'd made the introduction before Jasper went on to announce the winners of the raffle.

"If everyone looks at the numbered cards that were sitting over their place setting, we'll commence the drawing," he began. "But first, let's look at our prizes, shall we?"

There were five theme gift baskets that were provided by Whitlock Enterprises, each one filled to the brim with goodies that were related to the designated theme. As the founder and CEO of Whitlock Enterprises, Jasper would be handing out the baskets to the winners after they were announced.

Basket number one was wine themed and looked to have two expensive bottles of wine, two pairs of glasses, and a bottle opener inside, amongst other things. The second basket was the classic Vegas theme, consisting of a deck of cards, poker chips, two tickets to see the Cirque du Soleil, and a weekend stay here at the Bellagio among its gifts. The third was a basket with a spa theme, which had a weekend voucher for two for the Spa at Encore Las Vegas, different oils, lotions and sea salts, as well as other items and knick-knacks that contributed to the theme. The second to last basket, number four, revolved around a baking/cooking theme, including a signed recipe book, knife block, and baking and cooking tools; a whisk, spatula, serving utensils, pots and pans...etc. And, finally, basket five, the last theme, was movie themed with two tickets to the movie that was premiering, here in Vegas, in two weeks, a large popcorn container filled with unpopped bags of popcorn, candy and soda, as well as several DVDs of popular movies that came out over the last couple of years.

"I'm number 253," Kate leaned in to whisper.

"252." I held up my card in time for them to being to draw numbers out of a rotating bin.

"The first lucky winner, who will be receiving basket number one is lucky number 157!"

An elderly woman in a silver gown made her way to the stage to accept her gift basket from Jasper with a wide smile. A man, who I assumed to be her husband, accompanied her, holding onto one of her hands while the other was placed around her waist as he helped her climb the stage. I smiled to myself at the love they obviously shared, no doubt having been together their entire lives, and yet their feelings were as strong as ever. It was the kind of love everyone was envious of, and they were lucky enough to have had it for many years.

After they left the stage, a young waiter assisting them with their basket, they announced the winner of the second basket. He was a thirty-something year old guy, who was obviously thrilled with his Vegas-themed basket, leaving the stage with an excited grin as he motioned to his friends across the room at their table.

"Basket three goes to number," he took the card from the pretty young woman who made the drawings and looked at it, "252!"

"Bells, that's you!" Kate bumped me excitedly.

"Me?" I sat there looking stunned as everyone in the room clapped, picking up my numbered card to make sure that I hadn't heard them wrong.

"Yes, go!" She laughed, urging me to stand while my tablemates hooted and hollered.

I walked in a daze to the stage, completely shocked at the turn of events. Climbing the steps, I made my way to the podium where I handed in the card and shook the man's hand before making my way over to Jasper.

"Congratulations," he murmured, his deep eyes never leaving mine as he took my hand in the most intimate handshake of my life.

"Thanks." I went to pull my hand away, only to find that he'd refused to let go, and, instead, pulled me into him, playing it off for the audience as a friendly, affectionate hug.

"We need to talk," he insisted.

"What, now?" Was he serious? Here we were, on stage, in front of hundreds of people, plus the press, and he wanted to do this _now_?

He pulled back so that I could see the determination in his expression. "If that's what it takes, then yes."

I quickly weighed my options, then sighed in resignation. "We'll talk later."

"Fine," he agreed, but stopped me as I went to turn away. "But we _will_ talk."

I nodded and made my way over to the waiter, who followed me off the stage and over to my table with my basket as they called up the next winner, who was a middle aged woman in a black dress.

After she made her way back to her seat, they called the final winner, who turned out to be a blonde woman sitting with Maria.

"That's Lucy George," Jared whispered to me. "She and the brunette, Nettie Romano, are Maria best friends."

"You know them?" I wondered. They weren't exactly the type of people I could imagine him being friends with.

He shrugged, "They're just a bunch of pampered princesses who never worked a day in their lives."

"Maria works," I reminded him as I thought of Kate's PR firm.

"Yeah, sure, when it suits her," he scoffed. "They wouldn't know real work if it bit them in the ass."

I looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"It's all a front!" He explained. "I may have grown up in Cincinnati with my mom, but my dad lives here in Vegas. He works closely with Maria's dad, being his lawyer, and all."

"Aro seemed like a really nice guy," I noted.

"Yeah, and he is," Jared agreed. "It's just that Maria had this impression that she could just coast by on her family's money without ever having to work a day in her life. But, being the kind of man who believes in working for what you have, it didn't go over well with Aro, as you can imagine."

"Oh." I began to understand where he was going with this.

"My dad was there when the confrontation went down," he began to rehash. "Aro had both explained to his family and wrote out in his will that neither of his kids will see a dime of the family's money unless they are working and making a living for themselves for at least fifteen years after college. Emmett was fine with it, already having been working under his dad for the past year, but, naturally, Maria had a fit when she found out after her card was declined. She hadn't taken him seriously and stomped her way into daddy's and threw a fit. But Aro wouldn't budge on his stipulations. He didn't want his kids to grow up to be spoiled, never knowing the true value of a dollar."

"So, then, what happened?" I wondered.

"Well, it took some time, but Maria finally agreed to the terms and opened her PR firm."

"But, if she didn't have any money, how did she open up a business like that?"

"That's the thing," Jared began. "It's not just her business. It's really Aro's since he provided the startup capital. A portion of the profits go to him each month until the loan is paid off, then it becomes half hers and she starts earning a larger percentage of the company's earnings. Until then, it technically is his business with Maria as the face of the company."

"So, she hired a staff to do all the heavy lifting?"

"Basically," he shrugged. "It's a pretty big firm and very successful, so I can't imagine she has much more to go until the loan is paid off."

I pondered this for a moment. "So, what did you mean when you said the firm was a front?"

"I meant that she basically let's her management run the company while she just attends the occasional meeting to make sure everything continues to go her way."

"But didn't she put together this event?" I gestured to the room around me.

"That's true, but it's for purely selfish reasons," he explained. "She personally does all of Whitlock Enterprises events to stay close to Jasper Whitlock, as well as the occasional high profile event to prove to her dad that she's doing more than just sitting on her ass all day."

"Oh." Now it made sense.

"See?" Kate murmured, having been listening in. "I told you she was a manipulative bitch."

And, after tonight, I'd never doubt her about that again. Especially after our little get-to-know-you session in the ladies room.

* * *

The next event for the evening was the auction, and the auctioneer who took the stage explained that each item being auctioned off was provided by a guest present tonight, though some were of the items were donated by outside contributors who basically wanted to get a nice break on their taxes. Basically, people would provide things, for example, a week at someone's vacation home that was located on a private island, or a date with a movie star that was in attendance or volunteered, and everyone present could bid on those things while all the proceeds went to the charity.

"The first item up for auction tonight is presented by Davis and Celia Hamilton. They own a large seven bedroom, eight and a half bathroom, villa in Cozumel, Mexico." A slide show of the house and the beach it sat on began to play on the giant monitors that were displayed around the gala. The rooms and views were breathtaking, and I knew the house, alone, probably cost well over a million. "They are donating a full week on this lovely property, equipped with a spa and a full round-the-clock staff. The house sleeps fourteen comfortably and comes with every amenity you could need. We will start the bidding at ten thousand."

The auction went on from there, the amounts so callously being tossed around successfully blowing my mind. Jasper's parents donated two weeks at their estate in Paris, selling for upwards of one hundred thousand dollars. Their son, Peter, who was an extremely well-known chef, who'd won all three of the coveted Michelin Stars, volunteered ten private cooking lessons for twenty-five grand, while Jane donated a brand-new top of the line Lexus SUV. Jasper, himself, sold a three week vacation on his luxury yacht to explore the Mediterranean Sea with a full staff on-hand for nearly two-hundred thousand. One man donated a handful of street bikes and motorcycles, another woman donated some expensive jewelry. Overall, it was overwhelming, and yet extremely generous.

"Can you believe all this?" Kate whispered as she relaxed into Garrett's side. He hadn't left her all evening, and it was safe to say the man was clearly smitten with my best friend. "I'd have to sell my parents house just to win some of these bids!"

"Yeah," I mumbled. "But imagine all the money they are raising for the charity. I wish I could contribute somehow."

"Maybe you can," Peter Whitlock appeared at my side as I stood near the bar, watching the proceedings.

I gave him a dubious look. "Yeah? How? Offer up a kidney?"

"Funny," he laughed, "But nothing so strenuous." He pulled a program from out of his back pocket and flipped it open to one of the last pages. "The last dance is auctioned off. Any female who wants to participate is allowed."

I eyed him skeptically. "So, all I have to do is dance to one song?"

He nodded. "One dance, one song, that's it. All the proceeds go to charity."

"You should do it," Kate encouraged me. "I'll even join you."

"It's for a worthy cause," Garrett agreed.

I didn't have to think about it for long. After all, it was just one harmless dance with a rich man, and I would be a contributing participant towards a worthwhile charity.

"Count us in."

"Excellent," he smiled widely. "I already know your name, Ms. Isabella Swan, but your friend's name is?" He looked to Kate and smiled, causing Garrett to scowl and visibly tighten his hold on her. He was quickly winning my approval.

"Kate Denali," she laughed, obviously falling for his charms.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Denali," he winked, then turned to me. "I'll go ahead and sign you ladies up."

"Who was that?" She asked when he'd walked away. "He's cute." I gave her a look that asked if she was serious, my eyes flickering to Garrett's disapproving face. "Not for me!" She laughed, patting his arm reassuringly. "For you!"

I smirked, shaking my head. "So not going to happen. That's Peter Whitlock, Jasper's brother."

"Oh," she frowned. "I can see where that could cause a problem."

"You think?" I laughed, spotting Edward coming towards us with an excited smile on his face.

"I won!" He grinned, holding up a white piece of paper. "I won the bid for that black and red CB500F!"

Kate and I looked at each other in confusion, neither of us understanding exactly what it was that he had bought.

"English, please?" She quirked a brow, speaking for the both of us.

"It's a street bike," Garrett clarified. "Honda, right?"

Edward nodded, still grinning. "Yeah, it's really nice. I've always wanted a bike, and when I saw this one, I knew I had to have it."

My eyes widened in surprise.

"Seriously? How did you afford it?" Kate asked before I could manage a word.

"I've been saving," he shrugged. "Not all of us spend our hard earned money at every opportunity."

He was right on the mark on that one. Kate really did have a serious shipping fetish. She would get along great with my friend, Alice, from the shelter. Maybe then she wouldn't keep dragging me out on these all day shopping sprees.

"How much did you get it for?" I asked, and he handed me the slip. "Seventy-five hundred? Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you've been saving."

"Yeah," he nodded as I gave him back the paper. "I'm so stoked!"

"Honda's a good brand," Garrett acknowledged.

"You ride?" He asked as he folded the paper and slipped it into his inside jacket pocket.

Garrett nodded, "I've got a 2014 Yamaha FZ-09."

"Nice," Edward complimented as he ordered a drink from the bar. "That's a four stroke, right?"

He nodded, "Yup, six speed."

"That's really cool," Edward accepted his glass from the bar, thanking the guy behind it with a tip.

* * *

The auction continued on for another hour before it finally came to an end. I was enjoying myself thus far, spending time with my two best friends as I got to know my new coworkers outside of the lab. I knew that when we went back on monday, that the real work would begin for me and I'd be assigned my own project, rather than just helping Jared with his - not that what he was doing wasn't considered real work. It was very a very interesting assignment, but it was essentially his. I wanted something of my own, even if I had to work under someone else. At least it would still be mine in the end.

Mike's laughter brought me back into the present as he joked around with Ben and Nahuel. Quil stood off to the side watching him with obvious affection, which made me smile as I approached him, having gotten to know him, as well as the others at our table as we talked throughout dinner.

"You love him." It wasn't a question. I could see it in his eyes as he stared at Mike's smiling face.

Quil nodded, "I do."

"And he knows how you feel?"

He shrugged, the small smile he'd wore beginning to fade. "It's complicated."

"How so?" I wondered. "You would think it would be a pretty cut and dry answer; he either knows how you feel or he doesn't."

Quil looked down at me through troubled brown eyes, his black hair slick back from his tanned face, and it occurred to me that I was probably overstepping my bounds.

"I'm sorry, it's none of my business," I looked down into my champagne flute. "I just see the way you look at him, is all, and I know he cares about you a lot."

"No, it's fine," he sighed, "I assume he's told you why we never seem to last?"

I nodded, "He's a bisexual and you want him to be gay."

"I want him to commit," he corrected me. "Whether he's gay or bisexual isn't the issue. He is who he is, but what I don't understand is..." he trailed off, seemingly unable to finish.

"He won't give up the women?" I guessed.

Quil nodded solemnly. "He thinks that just because he's not sleeping with any other men that it makes it okay, - says that he can't give up the other half of who he is."

"That's a hard thing to ask someone to give up," I noted.

"Which is why we can never seem to last, no matter how many times we give us a go." He took a large sip from his glass.

"You're hoping that this time will be different?"

"I'm always hoping that," he admitted. "I love him too much to stay away from him for long, no matter how bad he is for my sanity."

"I'm sure you guys will work something out."

He looked down at me with appreciation. "I hope you're right."

Jessica and Zafrina appeared at our side, both with wide smiles on their faces.

"I'm so going home with him tonight!" Jessica leaned in to whisper, her reddish-brown hair providing a curtain before flipping it back over her shoulder to wave at Vladimir with a flirty smile. He caught her eye while in mid-conversation with Nahuel and his brother, Stefan, and smiled. "He's so cute!" She preened with excitement.

"He's definitely got something about him," Quil agreed, smiling down at his long-time friend.

"So, we never got to ask, how did everything go with Mr. Whitlock last night?" Zafrina wondered.

"Did you sleep with him?" Jessica's eyes flashed, eager for information. "He's so gorgeous!"

I bit my lip uneasily, not wanting to discuss anything Jasper related at this point in time. However, I knew I had to give them something if I wanted them to let this go for any amount of time. "It was all really nice, " I relented. "He took me out for a really nice dinner at the Belfry when we got into the city."

"Ooh! I love that place!" Zafrina exclaimed. "It's just like being in Italy!"

"Which restaurant did he take you to?" Quil asked.

"Uh, I think it was called La Bella Fetta de Italia?" I answered, reluctantly thinking back to that night, discreetly looking down to make sure the bite mark was still concealed under the halter-style dress that I'd picked out for this reason.

"Was it as good as it's supposed to be?" He wondered, then went on to say that he was planning on taking Mike there soon, having heard that they had a famous Italian chef, who was supposed to be one of Peter Whitlock's friends, running the kitchen.

"Yeah, the food was great," I smiled. "Though, I should warn you, everything is very old world Italian, including the menu, so you'll definitely want to ask for a translation."

"Thanks for the tip," he mused.

A sudden zing of electricity tickled my spine, and I stiffened, my eyes immediately searching the crowd, knowing that Jasper was nearby. I found it strange, how I could always seem to sense him when he was close, and found him watching me from about two dozen feet away, speaking with two men who appeared to be a couple of years older than him. However, with their backs mostly to me, I couldn't tell for sure.

Unable to control my reaction to him, my eyes stayed glued to him, unable or unwilling to break the spell we seemed to have over each other, until, finally, he mumbled something to the pair and began striding over with purpose filling each step.

I was frozen in place, my body unwilling to run as my head was pleading with my legs to do. Jasper Whitlock spelled trouble for me, what happened this afternoon in the limo, as well as this evening, had proved it. So, why wasn't I turning away?

"Good evening, everyone," Jasper interrupted politely.

Jessica and Zafrina stiffened, clearly still as daunted as ever by his presence, while Quil practically gawked with wide eyes at the man, not that I blamed him. Jasper had one hell of an intimidating presence, just as Mike had previously stated in his warning.

Not wanting my friends to feel awkward later, I spoke, "Quil, I'm not sure if you've ever met Jasper Whitlock?

This seemed to snap him out of it, reaching forward to extend his hand. "No, I've never had the pleasure. Quil Altera," he introduced himself, "It's really great to meet you, sir."

"Likewise," Jasper nodded as he shook his hand before turning to me. "Can I talk to you?"

I anxiously pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and nodded, knowing I promised we'd talk and that the night was almost over. I went to take a step in his direction, only to be stopped in my tracks by Peter and Kate.

"That conversation's going to have to wait, brother."

I looked at Kate in confusion.

"The Last Dance Auction is getting ready to start," she clarified.

"And these two lovely ladies have agreed to participate." Peter smirked at his brother, a suggestive smile pulling at his lips.

Jasper's eyes narrowed, seemingly warring with himself, before finally nodding, his gaze flickering over to meet my eyes. "That's very generous. Perhaps I will be making a bid this year, after all."

I sucked in a breath, my eyes remaining glued to his, any response completely lost on my tongue.

"Shall we, ladies?" Peter held out an arm to Kate and I, forcing me to tear myself away from the spell Jasper had never failed to put me under. I took his arm and headed in the direction of the stage, where a group of other women were already lining up with a large hoard of men waiting at the front of the stage, auction paddles ready.

I felt my heart as it began to quicken in my chest.

What have I gotten myself into?

 **A/N: So, what do you guys think will happen with the Auction? Did you like the view into Jasper's mind? Don't worry, a lot of your questions regarding that night will be answered in the next chapter. Any takers on what's really going on? I'd love to hear em! And, thinking further into the future, what do you think Isabella's project at the lab will be? What did you think about Maria and Aro's agreement regarding her PR firm? Review!**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next chapter's Author's Note**!

 **To see more, go to my FF and Wattpad pages under the penname: Xo Bella Italiana oX**

 **PM me for details!**

 **\- Bella'Xo**

 **Xo Bella Italiana oX**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer. All publicly recognizable characters, settings etc., are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. I only do this for fun.**

 **Life's A Gamble**

 **A/N: If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next Author's Note at the bottom of the chapter! - Bella'Xo**

 _ **Previously…**_

 _ **(Isabella's POV)**_

" _The Last Dance Auction is getting ready to start," she clarified._

 _"And these two lovely ladies have agreed to participate." Peter smirked at his brother, a suggestive smile pulling at his lips._

 _Jasper's eyes narrowed, seemingly warring with himself, before finally nodding, his gaze flickering over to meet my eyes. "That's very generous. Perhaps I will be making a bid this year, after all."_

 _I sucked in a breath, my eyes remaining glued to his, any response completely lost on my tongue._

 _"Shall we, ladies?" Peter held out an arm to Kate and I, forcing me to tear myself away from the spell Jasper had never failed to put me under. I took his arm and headed in the direction of the stage, where a group of other women were already lining up with a large hoard of men waiting at the front of the stage, auction paddles ready._

 _I felt my heart as it began to quicken in my chest._

 **Chapter 10:** **Money Talks**

 **(Isabella's POV)**

I nervously wrung my hands together as I stood behind Kate near the steps leading to the stage. I tried my best to stand near the back, attempting to delay the inevitable for as long as I could.

I was able to hear the other women around me gossiping and babbling on anxiously as they waited for the auction to begin.

"This is so exciting!" A stick-thin redhead giggled.

"Oh, I know!" The blonde next to her agreed, "Last year I raised over fifteen-thousand from some wall-street banker, who was in town for the weekend."

"I heard that Maria Volturi once raised thirty-thousand one year!" A dark-skinned girl mock-whispered.

"Yeah, I was there that year! No one has ever even gotten close to beating it!" A tall brunette informed the group.

"But Jane Whitlock got close last year with twenty-five grand."

"That's Jasper Whitlock's sister, right?"

"Yeah, she always participates in the final auction."

"I wonder if he's is going to put in a bid this year?"

"Well, he never has before. But, my dad's friends with one of his accountants, and he said that he always adds an extra couple million to the pot at the end of the night from his own private account." The redhead gossiped.

"God, can the man be any more delicious?" Blondie sighed dreamily.

I did my best to tune them out after that, not really wanting to hear how 'perfect' they all thought he was. I'd had enough of Jasper Whitlock for one evening.

"Hey, Bella!" Someone called my name, and I turned to see Jane making her way over with two shots of dark liquor, one in each hand, extending one towards me once she was within reaching distance. "Here, this will help calm the nerves."

"Thanks," I smiled before throwing back the shot, delighting in the tingling feel as the Bourbon warmed my stomach all the way down, beginning from my throat and chest.

"So, how does this whole thing work?" I wondered, placing the empty shot-glass down on the table.

"Oh, it's really simple," she began, "We all get called up to the platform, one by one, then they start the bidding as we look pretty and try to tempt the audience to raise their bids - highest one wins. It's simple."

"And, how exactly do we get them to raise their bids?" I asked uneasily. "We don't have to - you know - strip or anything, right?"

She laughed, "God, no! This is a dignified event, after all - the clothes stay on!"

"Well, that's good to hear," I smiled, despite myself, feeling only the slightest bit more relieved.

Jane giggled, placing a hand on my upper arm. "Just watch the women who go up before you, you'll see what I meant."

"Excuse me, ladies," a man with a red bow-tie graciously interrupted, "Would you mind filling these out for the auction?" He asked, handing us each a slip of paper with what looked like a couple of questions typed out on it.

"Of course," Jane smiled, taking one of the offered pencils.

"We will be collecting these again as you are called up where they will be read on stage before they begin to accept your bids," he explained, politely excusing himself as we began to fill out our answers with the small four-inch pencils that were provided.

It was then that Kate reappeared to my left with her slip already filled out and a glass of champagne in her opposite hand.

"My God, I felt like I was filling out a questionnaire for one of those cliche dating websites they are always advertising for. I highly doubt any one of these guys will care about my home town. Just give them my cup size and we'll call it even," she grumbled until she noticed that I hadn't been standing here alone. "Oh, I'm sorry?"

Jane laughed and waved her off, "Don't worry about it."

I smiled at the two women and quickly introduced them, "Jane, this is Kate McNeal. She's been my best friend since we were kids. "

Kate grinned as she straightened her stance. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Jane nodded as she folded her slip in half.

"You're Jasper Whitlock's sister, right? I saw you on stage earlier."

"That's me," she smiled widely as the man in the red bow-tie reappeared, and explained that we were to give that auctioneer our card as we pass him at the podium before we continue on to the center of the stage. Then, he nodded to the first woman at the front of the line as she climbed onto the stage and handed off her card. The auctioneer then introduced her before beginning to sell off her last dance to the highest bidder.

The shorter the line got, the more nervous I was feeling. Kate and Jane pulled me along behind them and we wound up somewhere near the halfway mark.

"Excuse me, ladies. Coming through!" The familiar voice belonging to none other than Maria sounded as she made her way to cut into a spot near the front of the line with her two ladies in waiting following behind her. They completely ignored the annoyed looks the other contestants behind them had pointed in their direction, however none of them had the courage to actually say anything.

"What's her deal?" Kate grumbled to us, glaring in Maria's direction as she stood at the front of the line, waiting for the auctioneer to call her up.

Jane rolled her eyes, "It's just Maria being Maria, always dutifully followed by her ladies in waiting. You know the type."

"Yeah, the type who thinks their shit don't stink, obviously." Kate chortled.

"Why doesn't anyone ever say anything to her?" I asked, confused why everyone just let her treat people that way, like they were so far beneath her that they allowed her to disrespect them that way without a fight.

Jane sighed, "They are afraid of her."

Kate scoffed, "Why would anyone be afraid of the likes of her?"

"I once thought that same way," a small voice that belonged to a dainty young blonde woman murmured from behind us gaining the attention of all three of us.

"What changed your mind?" I wondered, keeping my voice at a low octave as to not be overheard.

"You mean 'who' changed my mind," she corrected me. "Candice Abrams did."

"Who's Candice Abrams?" Kate asked.

As she spoke, I'd noticed a brief flash of recognition light up in Jane's eyes, but disappeared before I could be sure of what I'd saw.

"I-I shouldn't have said anything, forget I mentioned it," the young woman stuttered, turning away as to not make eye contact.

"What? Why? Who is she?" Kate continued to unrelentingly interrogate the fearful blonde, causing her to stop her retreat.

Her eyes flickered behind us for several seconds to where Maria and the other two who followed behind here were waiting, and sighed. "She was my friend. She was kind and giving and loyal. One evening, she and I were at this banquet that a mutual friend of our mothers' was hosting. Maria was there with her family, along with the Whitlocks." She wrung her hands together, unwilling to make eye contact or speak above a gentle whisper as though she were afraid of anyone overhearing.

I peeked over at Jane at the mention of her and her family, but she was pretending that she hadn't been paying attention. However, I knew that she heard it all, word for word.

What could have possibly occured to have shaken these two beautiful, confident women like this?

"Candice and I were out mingling in the gardens, along with several others, drinking champagne, not a care in the world." She continued almost wistfully. "I guess she had consumed a glass too many and I had suddenly lost track of her," she shrugged. "I was talking this guy I was interested in - one of my older cousin's friends. I wasn't paying attention to much else.

"About an hour before dessert was brought out, this high pitched scream startled everyone - practically rattled the windows and glasses. We all started running towards the sound, leading us to one if the fountains hidden behind a row of tall hedges."

The young woman swallowed thickly, her eyes having become pink and bloodshot with tears nearly brimming over her bottom lids. She sniffled and quickly shook it off, forcing a small smile up at the three of us. I realized that this was the first time she had made eye contact since she'd begun her story, even if it didn't last more than a handful of seconds.

"I'm sure I don't have to elaborate much about what we'd all found when we'd arrived."

I exchanged an uneasy glance with Kate, who'd been uncharacteristically silent since the young blonde started speaking.

"She was... dead?" I wondered out loud in the gentlest, most sympathetic voice I could muster in my shock.

Her head bobbed once in a quick jerk of confirmation. "Her neck had been snapped and she was bleeding heavily from her forehead. I didn't realize so much blood could come from a simple head wound "

"But how do you know Maria had anything to do with it? It could've been an accident from drinking too much champagne? She could've tripped and hit her head, then fell into the fountain when she broke her neck," Kate offered, her brows furrowed down towards the center of her forehead in befuddlement.

The blonde laughed humorlessly, "That's exactly what the M.E. ruled as her cause of death - but I know better; everyone does."

"How?" I pressed with as much patience I could muster, regardless of how anxious this knowledge made me with my newfound rivalry with the woman in question.

"People talk," the blonde shrugged, trying to catch Jane's eye, who was too occupied with the bubbles rising in her glass to notice. "Some say they'd seen her leave the upstairs bedroom where the coats were being kept a minute or so after Jasper Whitlock. Others admit to overhearing her and Maria arguing that night. I'm sure you can imagine how stories evolve and change the more the rumors continue to circle.

I could feel the anger and outrage coursing through my veins as I tried to keep my composure. "If this is true, why hasn't she been arrested - questioned even? Why hasn't anyone come forth, or done anything about this?"

She scoffed, "You're clearly not from around here, or understand how things work. Money talks - or, in this case, buys silence, ignorance and immunity."

"But surely someone saw something? Someone who wouldnt need the money, or has a conscious, even?"

"Any guesses what fear will buy you?" She quirked a brow. "There are dozens who'd provide her with an alibi. And anyone who knows anything is too afraid 2 talk. The Volturi's are a very powerful and influential family in these parts. They have their claws into everything and everyone, not to mention their close relationship with the Whitlocks," She shot a look at Jane, "a family who practically owns this city and everyone in it...well, it keeps people from wanting to get on their bad side, even if said family doesn't realize their role in all of that..." She began trailing off, her mind beginning appearing to drift in a dangerous direction as she stared into space, clearly a little too long for Jane's comfort.

The young Whitlock sister motioned for the auctioneer's assistant as he came to went to ready Maria for her turn, only stopping first, and, after a momentary internal battle of wills, gave in and gestured for the blonde to come over to the stairs at the front of the line.

It was then that two large men in tuxedos - security who'd obviously employed by the Whitlocks for the high profile event - began to escort her over to the steps that led up onto the platform.

One of the men had longer hair that had me already guessing at his more superior rank. The other was younger looking and still sported his hair in the way all special force soldiers did, buzzed shortly from his head.

I instantly knew that Jane had called them to escort her for a reason when the obstacle known as Maria Volturi suddenly stood in front of them, blocking their entrance onto the platform.

"I do believe that I'm up next," A wide, polite, but clearly intimidating smile grew on her face as she spoke, daring anyone to dispute her claim.

The auctioneer's assistant, who was assigned to collect each of our cards before the one who'd been standing in line next to the steps off to the side of the stage, stood there peevishly. His eyes shifted back and forth, unsure of who he should be listening to. The more experienced-looking one with his long dark brown hair slickly combed back shook his head, seemingly unaffected by her intimidation tactics, and stepped forward in a way that caused Maria to clear their intended path as she took a step over to the side in an attempt to get away from his overly close proximity or risk falling onto the stairs.

However, things were never just that easy…..were they?

Jane stepped from around them at this moment and glared at Maria who had just opened her mouth to argue, "She will be going next, then you and your little band of flying monkeys can follow after."

Maria ground her teeth together as the two women seemed to have a battle of wills. Jane would not be daunted though, and, seconds later, Maria looked away, taking a step back made me wonder why? If she had the power to get away with murder without any trepidation, then what exactly was constantly bringing her to, abet unwillingly, submit to Jane's threats? What had happened to these two confident women, and what was the relationship between the two?

"Alright, now that that's settled, please stand on the middle step and prepare to be called up," the assistant decreed and motioned towards the stairs, just in time for the auctioneer to close on the final bid for the current contestant at twelve thousand dollars.

It was Maria's turn to grace the stage as the auctioneer was handed her card and began to read from it as she made her way to the center of the stage, posing with a hand on her hip and a smile that I was willing to bet was just as fake as her personality.

Being the owner of a PR firm, Maria did a rather impressive job at selling herself to the bidders, twisting and turning in an alluring way or making a not-so-subtle gesture, which only got more intense as the bidding began.

Fifteen Thousand, eighteen thousand, twenty-two thousand, thirty thousand - the numbers continued to grow higher until there was only two men battling each other upwards of forty-thousand, finally ending when a middle-aged man around forty-five went unchallenged in with his final bid.

The gavel sounded as the auctioneer closed the bidding, "Lot Maria Volturi goes to the dark haired gentleman in the middle for fifty-thousand dollars, which I understand is a new Last Dance record!"

The room was sent into a roaring applause as Maria smugly left the stage, sending a wink to her two minions on the other side of the stage who were up next.

Jane sighed, "Guess I'll be putting up with her gloating for who knows how long." She tipped her head back and finished the last of her champagne in one go before signaling for a waiter to take her glass.

I continued to watch the women ahead of me continue to take the stage. Both Nettie and Lucy made just over twenty grand, while some made less and others made more. And yet, no one could seem to raise anywhere near Maria's amount.

Jane was prepped to go up next, waiting with confidence to take her turn until her name was finally called. She made her way to the center of the stage, throwing a random wink at an eager bidder who had his paddle ready in his hand. Her introduction was then read and the bidding began at the standard one thousand dollars, which quickly began to rise.

As I watched her, I noticed that she didn't use much sexual allure as she tried to encourage the patrons to increase their bids like many of the other women did. Instead of twisting and turning as though she were trying on a new dress at a high end boutique, she would engage with everyone, smiling and laughing in a carefree way as she signaled for the bids to go higher. Needless to say, my respect and liking for the young woman grew.

Finally, the bidding for Jane's last dance went to an older man with greying hair for forty-three thousand.

Kate went up next, and really made an impression, as usual. Being in PR, and really good at her job, she was able to really put on a good show, so much so that there were even a couple women putting in bids, one of them even being the winning bid.

However, I wasn't able to get a good look at who it was due to the nervousness rapidly flowing through me at the prospect of going up next. It felt as if a swarm of butterflies - no, more like the whole damn zoo - was running rampant in my stomach.

Then, the time finally came when the auctioneer called me to the stage, "Next up, please welcome Isabella Swan!"

 **A/N: So, what do we think? Hope it was worth the wait! Any thoughts on what will happen during Isabella's Last Dance auction or who will win?**

 **If you have any questions or comments, post them in my reviews and I will answer them in my next chapter's Author's Note!**

 **To see more, go to my FF and Wattpad pages under the penname: Xo Bella Italiana oX**

 **PM me for details!**

\- **Bella'Xo**

 **Xo Bella Italiana oX**


End file.
